Fate-Loud Struggle
by Michael Ravencroft
Summary: How far would you go to bring back someone you loved? For Lincoln, he is willing to wage war against six Masters and Servants to bring back the one he most loved. With Lucy and Lancelot, he will correct Fate's mistake...
1. Prologue

_This is the tale of a boy who lost his love, as forbidden as it was, and his last attempt to change the hand Fate has dealt him._

_Their love, it was something that neither would ever change, no matter the scorn or hate. But where do we begin with this story…?_

_Well, like all stories, we start at the beginning…_

**_FATE/LOUD STRUGGLE_ **

Lincoln awoke in his cramped room, blankly staring up at the ceiling. He reached under his pillow and dragged out his cellphone, seeing that it was six in the morning. With a heavy sigh, Lincoln decided to get an early start on the morning routine. The snow haired lad threw off his blankets and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. Lincoln stood up and stretched and accidentally banged his fist against the wall.

"Dang it!" he exclaimed.

It was something that occurred every once and awhile, his parents had suggested that he should move out of his room, now at the age of thirteen, his body had grown more, and as such, the converted linen closet was hardly the best place for a growing boy to live in anymore. But Lincoln refused to do so, for more than one reason.

Lincoln grabbed his toothbrush and towel and exited his room. As he walked along the hallway, he stopped. He knew he shouldn't, but Lincoln couldn't help it. The young teen glanced to his right and looked into the empty room. There was nothing left of what made it stand out from the rest of the rooms, Lucy's bed was gone, along with all her macabre items, as well as Lynn's bed and her assortment of sports equipment and paraphernalia.

Looking into this empty room always made Lincoln's heart hurt, compared to the other rooms in this house, which had been marked with the unique personality of the girls who inhabited them, it was foreign and painful to see this room devoid of any personality. Lincoln sighed and continued into the bathroom, washing up and brushing his teeth. After a couple of minutes he found that someone was waiting outside the door.

Luan was there, she was sixteen now, and had the height to go with it. She was kind of beanstalk when she was fourteen, but now, it seems, she was the tallest one in the house. Her braces had finally been removed, and she no longer wore her hair in a ponytail, instead, she let her long amber locks flow down past her shoulders. She was wearing her yellow plaid pajamas, albeit a bigger size of them, and apparently her body finally started to develop making her the third biggest – in a certain upper part of their bodies – in the house, right behind Lori, with Leni being the first.

"Morning, Linc," Luan greeted.

"Hey," he replied.

"You're up early."

Lincoln looked down. "Couldn't sleep much."

Luan looked upon her brother worriedly. "Lincoln…" the young comedienne placed her hand on his shoulder. "You really should tell Mom and Dad, you haven't had a good night's sleep for almost two weeks now…I'm worried, we all are."

It was true, the middle child of the Loud family had bags under his eyes, and looked exhausted most of the time. Lincoln gently brushed his sister's hand away and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, Luan, really," said Lincoln. "If it gets too bad, I'll talk to Lisa and have her make some kind sleeping drug or something."

Luan didn't seem too convinced by her brother's compromise, but right now, she knew better than to push it. "Okay." Lincoln began walking away, but then Luan called out, "Lincoln, you know…you know you can always talk to us, right? We're family, we're here for you."

Lincoln glanced over his shoulder. "I know."

With that, Luan disappeared into the bathroom. Lincoln felt a bit of annoyance, but knew better than to feel that way. Lori had long since moved to Great Lakes City and was now living with Bobby and going to college. Leni was scouted by a good fashion school while working at Reinger's and was currently studying and living at that School of Fashion Arts. This left both Luna and Luan as the oldest sisters in the house, and as such, the ones who were put in charge.

They had taken their roles seriously, Luna was still the passionate, free spirited, rocker, but she also knew when to turn on the authority when needed, something that Lori made sure Luna knew before leaving. Luan wasn't as strict as Luna, being the bringer of laughter, she often liked being more like a second mother. Luan was still dating Benny, the theater nerd had been good to her, and was there for her a lot. Luna and Sam were just as in love with each other as the day when Luna confessed to her, and more often than not, she would help Luna with looking after the younger Louds, often joking that it was "good practice" for the future, a tease that never failed to make Luna blush like a school girl.

"Lily!"

Lincoln watched as the door to Lisa and Lily's room burst open, the toddler of the family, who was now three, was running naked down the hall, giggling and holding something that clearly did not belong to her. Right behind the toddler was Lisa, now six years old, the twins were taller than her, but if Lincoln had to compare, Lisa now stood taller than them at that age, almost to the point that she was at eye height with the twins now.

The middle child of the Loud House rolled his eyes, Lily was about to run past him, that is until Lincoln reached out with his right hand grabbed Lily by the forehead, making her stop. "Lily, what did we say about running through the house, naked?"

"I shouldn't do it!" Lily said happily.

"Uh-huh, and what do you have in your hands?" Lincoln asked.

Lily brought up what looked like a metal cube. "Lisa's toy!"

Lisa skidded to a halt. "That is _not _a toy! That is a multi-stage, cubic compressor! It's designed to hold vast amounts of energy, and is highly unstable!"

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "How unstable?"

"Unstable enough not to go running around the house with it!" Lisa stated.

"Oooookaaaay…Lily what's that?!" Lily glanced about the room, Lincoln swiftly nabbed the cube away from Lily before she knew what happened and held it high over his head.

Lily, after noticing that the cube was gone, looked up and saw Lincoln hold it high above his head. "No fair!"

"Lily, it's not a toy, and it belongs to _Lisa_. You have a lot of toys already," said Lincoln.

"Lisa's are more fun! They go _BOOM_," said Lily.

"Yeah, that's not really a good thing." Lincoln could tell that the toddler was going to throw a tantrum if he didn't give back the cube. "Tell you what, if you promise not to take or touch any of Lisa's 'toys', then I'll take you somewhere fun this weekend, sound good?"

Lily scrunched her face as if thinking hard, but it only took her a second to come to an answer, "Okay!"

"Good, now go and put some clothes on."

Lily began walking towards her room, but stopped to give Lisa a hug before doing so. The genius of the house sighed in relief as she walked up to her big brother, who then handed the device over to her. "Thank you for your assistance, elder brother."

"No prob, although, you should start thinking about locking that stuff away, or putting it somewhere she can't mess with it," said Lincoln.

"The problem with that is that Lily is craftier than she lets on, perhaps it was due to the – ahem – experiments that I've conducted, or through spending time living with me, that her intuition and intellect has increased," said Lisa.

Lincoln wasn't about to argue that, the youngest child of their family was already walking and speaking clearly faster than most after fourteen months, and now she was doing stuff like this.

"By the way, I couldn't help but hear a bang come from your room," said Lisa.

"Yeah, sorry, I bumped by fist against the wall, again."

Lisa didn't seem to want to say it, but she decided to broach the subject. "Lincoln…perhaps it is best that you move out of that room. At your current growth rate, that room will no longer serve as a suitable place to inhabit. Perhaps…Perhaps you will reconsider moving into my room?"

Lincoln sighed as he walked towards his room and opened the door. "We've been over this Lisa, me, you, and Lily, it'll be too cramped."

"I have been working on a way to increase the amount space, and with a little reconstruction, I could easily expand the size of my room to accommodate you." Lisa looked down at the floor. "It just seems that…you've been rather lonely since–"

"LISA!" Lincoln growled.

The six-year-old immediately went silent, Lincoln's voice had deepened a little since he hit puberty. His high tone of voice was there whenever he spoke gently and calmly, but when he was angry or serious, it would drop a couple of octaves. It was enough that, whenever she, Lily, or the twins got too rowdy or out of the control, the sound of his voice would make them stop. Luan and Luna would often joke that he finally grew into his "big brother voice".

Lincoln glanced back at his second youngest sister, a look of irritation was present. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm fine."

Lisa formed a scowl as she glared up at her brother. "No, you are not! You have been sleep depraved for a number of days, you doze off here and there, your lethargic, and depressed! I understand that you and…Lynn…were closer to each other than most of us, but this not healthy!"

Lincoln turned around, standing before his younger sister and making her look up at him. "You have _no idea_ how I feel!"

"I miss her, too," Lisa's eyes watered, "but being the outgoing, energetic girl she was, I doubt that she would want to see you like this!"

"Get out."

Lisa blinked.

"I said, GET. OUT!" Lincoln ordered.

Lincoln took a step forward, which made Lisa take a step back. Lisa started to get skittish, perhaps she had been to brash in the way she spoke. "Lincoln, I only wish–"

"Lisa, either get out of my room, or I'll throw you out!" Lincoln stated once again, taking another step forward and bumping his chest against Lisa.

The six-year-old stumbled backwards, almost falling over, but caught herself before that happened. Once Lincoln was sure she was a safe distance from his door, he slammed and locked it.

Lisa felt a pang of hurt in her chest. Since that day, Lisa had taken a growing interest in the wellbeing of her family, especially Lincoln. He was always there for her, and she wanted to do the same, but the young teen had taken this even harder than anyone in the house.

The slam did not go unheard as Luna bolted into the hallway, she was wearing a purple tank top, and matching panties, her hair had grown out, but only to around her neck. "Yo, what's goin' on?! Lis, you alright?"

Lisa sighed heavily. "I…I might've gone a bit too far when speaking with Lincoln."

The rocker walked over to the young genius and knelt next to her. "You know he loves you, he loves all of us, so don't take it personally. Linc's just hurting."

"I understand…I know he wouldn't do anything to harm us, I just…I just wish to see the old Lincoln again," said Lisa.

Luna glanced towards the closed door. "Me too."

Lisa finally took notice of Luna's garb and groaned in annoyance. "Woman, would you please put on some pants?"

"Be glad I'm wearing _anything _after getting out of bed," said Luna.

Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose. "How Luan is able to sleep in the same room as you, knowing that you sleep with no undergarments, or clothes, is beyond me."

"Well, for one, we're all girls, not like any of us have something the others don't. And second, we're sisters, how many times have we seen Lincoln walk around in his undies? Besides, maybe you should deal with your own growing nudist before casting judgement little sis."

Lisa was confused by that statement, that is until she saw Lily, once again, dashing out of their room in the buff. "Lily, confound it!"

* * *

Breakfast was a little tense that morning, what with the earlier incident, but otherwise it was alright. Lincoln was dropped off at the middle school that he now attend, the same one _she _attended.

Lincoln met up with Clyde, he had been there for him through this difficult time, and would do his best to console his friend, but no one could understand what he was going through. How could they?

The thirteen-year-old went through his classes, the days were like a blur, his mind only catching parts of the lessons that the teachers were giving. Lincoln was forced to rely on Clyde's impeccable note taking to make sure he didn't fall behind, he hated to put that kind of pressure on his best friend, but, the way he was now, the energy to do much of anything was not there. The only thing that allowed him to stay active was the time he spent hanging out with Clyde, or generally, helping out one of his ten…one of his nine sisters.

The day was just as fleeting as it the one previous, and Lincoln was about to leave for the day, but then he stopped at the corner.

"Hey, you've seen the sorry state 'Larry's' been in lately?"

Lincoln recognized that arrogant tone, it was Chandler. He was popular in elementary school, and, unfortunately, that popularity had followed him into middle school. He quickly gained favor with the popular kids of the school, and earned himself a place among their upper echelons, now he was even more of a jerk than he was before.

"Wait, who's 'Larry'?" another kid asked.

"Ugh, you know who I'm talking about, buck teeth, white hair?"

"Oh, yeah, now I get ya. But, yeah, he looks like death warmed over."

"What happened, he get dumped or something?" Chandler asked.

"No, man, one of his sister's died."

Lincoln tensed up, despite knowing that, the reality was still hard to deal with.

"Really, which one? Didn't he have, like, five of 'em?"

"Nah, I think it was ten."

There was a sputtering noise as Chandler said, "Damn, still can't get over that number. So, which one?"

"Lynn."

Lincoln could hear Chandler humming as he was thinking. "Lynn…Lynn…Oh, yeah, wasn't she that jock? Oh well, no real lose there."

Lincoln's hands balled into fists.

"What do you mean?" a boy asked.

"I mean, compared to his other sisters, she wasn't much of a looker from what I remember. I mean, she was flat as a board, and looked like a dude most of the time. I mean did she even have a boyfriend? Probably a lesbo as butch as she was."

"Dude, that's kinda harsh, the chick's dead."

"Like I said, it wasn't one the _hotter _ones. Now that one, you know, with the guitar, or one of those two blondes, I'd _definitely_–!"

"CHANDLER!" Lincoln appeared from around the corner, his eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits as his fists trembled with barely contained rage.

Chandler, the redheaded popular boy, and his entourage of three other boys, were all looking at Lincoln. The three boys at least had the decency to look a little ashamed when they saw him, as well as fearful. However, Chandler wasn't even worried, either because he didn't care, or he was just too stupid to notice that Lincoln was one hair trigger away from laying into him.

"Hey, 'Larry'," said Chandler in a mocking tone.

"You have a lot of balls talking shit about my sisters behind my back," Lincoln stated.

"Geez, Larry, take a chill pill or something, I'm sorry." His voice was so condescending that it was painful to hear. "But you can't say that most of what I said wasn't true, I mean, your wannabe rock star of a sister is gay, not like I couldn't be wrong with Lynn. Plus, she was _flat_."

"You don't know a damn thing about Lynn! Now take that back or –!"

"Or what?" Chandler dared to interrupt.

The three boys started to get into a defensive formation, putting themselves out in front of Chandler. As bad as they felt about what Chandler was saying, even they wouldn't go against him, lest they fall from his good graces. Hey, they still had a few more years of middle school and high school with this jack off, better not to rock the boat.

Lincoln slid off his backpack and let it hit the ground. He released the tension in his muscles, remembering the lessons he was once taught by someone he cared about deeply.

_"Don't go into a fight all tensed up, don't lock up any part of yourself. Remain loose, remain fluid. Be water."_

_"Water?"_

_"Water can take any shape it wants, pour it into a cup, it becomes a cup, pour it into a bowl, it becomes the bowl. Water can flow, stream, and crash."_

_"You know you just ripped that off from Bruce Lee, right?"_

_"Duh! He's one of the greatest martial artists of all time! And for the record, I wasn't 'ripping off' I was quoting him. Still, he had a point. Just be water Linc." _

Lincoln took a few deep breathes, in and out, in and out. He widened his stance and brought up his fists, lowering his center of gravity as he prepared to attack. The boys seemed to be a little intimidated by the way Lincoln was standing, as far as they knew, the Loud boy had never boasted that he was taking any martial arts classes, and it was widely known that he and Clyde weren't the most athletic boys in their class. That being said, a lot can change, especially when you talk shit about someone's dead relative.

"What are you guys waiting for? Just kick his ass already, I wanna get home to play some games before it gets late," Chandler goaded.

The first boy, with black hair, broke from the group and threw a punch. Lincoln could see it, even in his sleep deprived state, someone like this was going to be child's play. Lincoln caught the boy's arm, he then threw out a kick to his legs, knocking the boy off balance. The snow haired teen then pulled back and threw the black haired boy onto his back, using his own momentum. The halls echoed with a loud smack as he landed against the linoleum floor. The boy let out a wheezing gasp as the wind was knocked out of him.

The other two boys, even Chandler, were taken by surprise at Lincoln's display.

"The fuck?!" the blonde haired boy exclaimed.

"It was just a lucky shot," said Chandler. "Go on!"

Lincoln was more than happy to show them that that wasn't just luck. The blonde haired boy came up next, throwing punches left and right. Lincoln's scrawny build didn't allow much in the area of strength, but it made him nimble, and fast. The uncoordinated strikes of the blonde boy made Lincoln back up, but he noticed something during the exchange, he didn't bother to watch his legs.

The Loud boy ducked under the blonde's right punch, crouching low, and struck the side of his opponent's knee with his fist. The blonde yelped in pain as he collapsed to one knee, allowing Lincoln to strike him from behind with a double handed hammer blow to the back his head. The blonde went down hard, striking face first against the floor as he rolled about in pain and clutching at his face.

The brown haired boy was the only one left, and he was visibly afraid. Lincoln had just downed two out of three of them, and he didn't even look tired. The middle Loud child slowly approached the last of Chandler's "bodyguards", his eyes darting about as the brown haired boy tried to figure out what he could do.

Unfortunately, his hesitation allowed Lincoln to move in quickly and deliver a swift kick to his family jewels. The brown haired boy released a high pitched squeal before fully collapsing onto the floor, cupping his manhood as tears fell from his eyes.

However, Chandler took that moment and came in to strike Lincoln in the face, throwing Lincoln against the lockers. Chandler began wailing on Lincoln, hitting him in the stomach, the head, anywhere he thought he could make the kid hurt. Lincoln had his arms raised, protecting his head as much as he could, he was literally against the wall.

_"Not going to lie, Linc. You're not always going be able to control the way a fight goes, sometimes some asshole will end up getting a luck shot in, and that's all it takes sometimes to turn it against you."_

_"What do you do then?"_

_"Depends. If you're fighting multiple guys, unless you can find some way around them, you're pretty much fucked. But, in those cases, it's not uncalled for to play dirty. Street rules bitch!" _

Lincoln weathered the blows, looking for his opening. Chandler mistook Lincoln's patience for weakness, and because of that, the redhead decided to wind up his next punch.

What an idiot.

Lincoln charged forward, ramming his forehead into Chandler's face. There was small cracking sound upon impact, and Chandler could now taste blood. The redhead's nose was visibly broken as blood began to pore from the nostrils. Lincoln didn't stop, he delivered two left jabs into Chandler's face, followed up by a right straight punch, one left hook to his right side, and followed up by a right uppercut.

Chandler was thrown to the opposite wall from the force of the swift combo, but Lincoln didn't stop. He kicked out Chandler's knee, making him kneel before him. Lincoln kicked straight for Chandler's groin, hard. The redhead let out a strained scream as he was about to fall forward, but Lincoln caught the jerky teen by his hair and made him stay up.

"If I _ever _hear you talk about _any _of my sisters like you just did, I'll personally **end you **!" Lincoln threatened. "Tell me you understand!"

"I…I…understand…!"

Lincoln scowled harder as he asked, "What's my name?"

"W-W-What…?"

"**WHAT'S. MY. NAME?!**"

"L-L-Lincoln," said Chandler in a timid voice.

Lincoln said nothing else as he released Chandler and let him fall to the floor. The thirteen-year-old huffed and panted from the ordeal, his hands shook from the aftermath of the adrenaline that coursed through his body during the fight. He took a moment to survey his work, it was probably overkill, and he was assuredly going to get in trouble for this. But he didn't really care.

Then Lincoln noticed that he had an audience, most of the kids had gathered in the hallway at both ends, having watched most of the fight. In the crowd he spotted his friends, Zach, Liam, Rusty, Clyde, and Stella, all of whom were staring at Lincoln with wide eyes full of shock and awe.

At that moment a teacher managed to get through the wall of middle schoolers and took in the scene, four boys on the floor, and only one standing.

* * *

Lincoln rode at the back of Vanzilla, Lola, Lana, Lucy, and Lisa had opted to walk home, leaving Luna and Luan to pick up Lincoln. Of course, when they arrived, they were immediately brought to the principal's office where they were told about the fight that had happened. Thankfully, the two oldest Loud children managed to convince the principal that Lincoln was taking the death of their sister harder than the rest of them.

And, coincidentally, one of the students who was an avid vlogger, had his phone recording the entire incident from when Chandler was bad mouthing their sister, all the way to where Lincoln waylaid them. After seeing and hearing that, Luna and Luan were actually proud of their little brother, and at the same time, sorry that they couldn't get in on that action.

Regardless, Lincoln was going to be suspended for a week due to their policy on fighting, and since one of Chandler's goons threw the first punch, it would be ruled as self-defense, plus the damning video and audio would not help Chandler or his friends' case.

The ride home was silent, Luan took a moment look at her little brother through the rearview mirror. He had a few bruises, but the nurse didn't see that he was too bad, in all honesty, the guys he fought looked worse.

Luna looked at the rearview as well, she then sighed and said, "Bro, let me just say, I'm proud of you for kicking that pissant's ass. But, you can't be doing that again. Luan and I managed to convince your principal to let you off because…well… you know. We'll back you up when we get home and tell Mom and Dad, but, try not do go off like that again."

"He had it coming one way or another. He's been an asshole since elementary school, and then he goes and talks shit about Lynn like that! She's…dead…! If he _ever _does that again I'm gonna –!"

"You're 'gonna' _nothing_!" Luna stated. "One fight is bad, but understandable. If you kick Chandler's ass like that again, or do it worse, then this excuse isn't going to fly!"

Lincoln crossed his arms and muttered, "I didn't need you to make an excuse for me…"

"Ugh." Luna groaned as she gripped the steering wheel hard.

Luan put her hand on Luna's shoulder, trying to convince her to calm down. The rocker released a sigh, she didn't need to drive angry, plus, it wasn't like she could blame her little brother for what he did. Luna noticed, probably before most of their siblings, how close Lynn and Lincoln where.

Compared to the others, the age gap between Lynn and Lincoln wasn't as big as the others, so it was only natural that they'd gravitate towards each other more. Although, when Lincoln got older, their closeness kind of faded, and Luna ended up being closer to him. However, while Luna and Lincoln were close, a year or two ago, the dynamic between Lincoln and Lynn seemed to change. They were hanging out more, Lynn was acting nicer towards Lincoln, defending him more, and Lincoln was the same.

Their time spent together seemed like less of a hassle for Lincoln, and more like something he looked forward to. It was probably during their time alone that Lynn taught Lincoln how to fight like he did. There were times when Luna would come home and find the two of them passed out on the couch, sometimes Lincoln would be lying next to Lynn, an arm draped around her, or Lynn would be resting her head on his lap, or vice versa.

Luan, Lori, Luna, and Leni had taken a lot of pictures of these moments, finding it cute. Leni had pointed out a while back that, from the pictures, that Lynn and Lincoln looked like they were boyfriend and girlfriend. That had earned the ditzy blonde a round of disturbed looks from her sisters.

_"What?" Leni asked. _

_"Leni, please don't joke like that. They're, literally, our little brother and sister," said Lori. _

_"I know, but, you can't say that they'd totes make a cute couple from looking at these?"_

_"Dude, just, no. I don't want to think about my sibs secretly banging each other," said Luna. _

_"Eew! Luna! Seriously, don't put those thoughts in my head!" _

_"Yeah, Luna, I **incest** you not bring that up! Ha, ha, geddit?"_

A lot of groans and eye rolls followed.

_"I'm just saying, you know, if they **weren't **our brother and sister, that they'd be cute together," Leni clarified. _

They had asked that Leni never joke like that, as cute as those moments they captured were, incest was not something they wanted to contemplate. But, objectively speaking, the girls did agree that if Lincoln and Lynn weren't blood related that, yes, they did make a cute couple.

For some reason, that memory kept playing in Luna's mind more and more lately. She didn't want to think about it, but the more she ignored it, the more it would insist on making itself known. Luna just couldn't, she didn't want to think that her comic book loving little brother and her sports obsessed little sister, were secretly lovers.

Although, as hard as all of them were taking it, Lincoln was devastated. Luna and Lori, even their parents, attributed this due to their growing closeness. Luna thought that it was so unfair, those two were more often than not at odds with each other, and just when they were starting to be like best friends, fate went and tore them apart.

Luna, briefly, let herself think about how she'd feel if Sam died. Fear gripped her heart and followed by an almost overwhelming sadness formed inside her. She quickly quashed those thoughts, reminding herself that Sam was alive and well, and made a note to call her later. Unfortunately, this still didn't quell the nagging thought in her head, if anything, it just made it worse. If what Luna just felt was similar to what Lincoln was feeling then maybe…

"Hey," said Lincoln. "Do you…Do you mind if we go see her?"

Luna and Luan looked to each other.

"You sure about this, Linc?" Luan asked.

Lincoln nodded.

Luan looked back at Luna, leaving the decision up to her. Luna wasn't about to deny that request. She put on the blinker and headed to where their sister was resting. It took a few minutes, but the three siblings eventually made it to Royal Woods Cemetery. They drove through the lot until they came to the area where they had, not too long ago, buried their sister. All three exited Vanzilla, but Lincoln stopped and asked, "Do you guys mind if I go and see her, alone?"

"Sure, go on little bro," said Luna.

"We'll be right here," said Luan.

Lincoln smiled as his sisters and made the lone walk. The graveyard was silent, all but for the cold air that rustled the trees and grass. It was February, the last leg of winter, and soon spring would come, nature would awaken from its cold sleep and with it, new life would come.

The snow haired boy walked through the rows of headstones, having memorized the location by heart, making it so that even if had gone blind, he would never forget where she was. After a minute and a half, Lincoln found her.

The gray, marble headstone that was etched with the words, "_Linda 'Lynn' Loud Jr. She lived life to the fullest and never looked back. Erected in loving memory by her loving family."_

Lincoln stood there before the headstone, hands tucked away in his jacket pockets as he stared down at the cold stone. "Hey…Lynn. Not sure if you saw…but I kicked Chandler's ass today." The snow haired boy knelt before the headstone. "He was saying all this crappy stuff about you, but what did he know? What did any of them know?! I know who you are…were…"

Lincoln reached out and touched the headstone. "I miss you…I really…really miss you…" tears began to flow from his eyes, a heavy lump formed in his throat as he struggled to get his words out. "It's not fair…you…you should be here! N-Not me! It's…It's my fault…you're not here…and it's…m-my fault!"

The young teen sniffled as he continued. "I miss it all…the sound of your voice…that gross sweaty smell after you worked out…how outgoing you were…how we…we used to kiss." Lincoln rubbed his nose and swallowed the lump. "I wanted to keep going…I wanted to see where we ended up…together. Was this some punishment? Are we being punished for how we felt about each other?……I had the chance to stop it, but I didn't, I wanted this…and now…" Lincoln chuckled. "You know, as much as Stella says she wants to stay friends with all of us, I think she's been looking at me more. She checks on me just as much as Clyde, but…there won't be anyone else like you…"

Lincoln stood up and removed his hand from his lover's headstone. "I'll come and see you again…"

Lincoln made the walk back to his sisters, both of which noticed the red puffiness of his eyes. Luna and Luan couldn't help but start crying too, both sister's brought their brother into a group hug, where all three of them were able to share in their grief together.

* * *

When they arrived home, Lincoln was grounded, obviously. Luna and Luan managed to explain what had happened and showed them the footage of what occurred, thanks to this, Lincoln's grounding was only for a day, and with both parents smiling proudly at their son defending the honor of his sisters.

Night fell soon after, dinner was eaten, and everyone had gone to bed. Except for Lincoln, once again, his ability to sleep peacefully was preventing him from getting any actual sleep. The nightmares of that incident plagued him, combined with his regret, it made for very restless nights.

"Lincoln…"

Lincoln missed the nights that Lynn would sneak into his room and cuddle up next to him, sometimes she spoon him, but, despite her statements to the contrary, she liked it when Lincoln spooned her. He missed the smell of her shampoo from her hair, and how it would sometimes linger on his pillow after she'd left.

"Lincoln…!"

He missed how, as embarrassing as it was, the two of them would…explore each other. They hadn't crossed the forbidden line yet, but, they came close a number of times during the Lynn's visits to his room. A touch would lead to groping, groping would then lead to kissing, and kissing would then lead to the two of them stripping down to their underwear and–

"Lincoln!!!"

The young teen snapped awake as he sat up in his bed, he quickly came to regret this action as his forehead struck against something making him fall back down as he clutched as his sore forehead, it was then that someone else fell next to him doing the same.

When the blurriness of his eyes began to clear, Lincoln began to see who it was. Long black hair, long bangs, a black shirt with black and white pajama pants, this was definitely Lucy.

"Lucy, what are you doing?"

"Ugh, trying to wake you up," she answered.

Lincoln felt around for his cellphone, grabbed it, and then turned it on. "Luce, it's two in the morning, why the hell did you wake me up so early?"

Lucy sat on her knees as she rubbed her forehead. "It's not as if you're going to school tomorrow."

"Touché."

"Anyways, there's something important I need to discuss with you."

Lincoln groaned as he turned away from her. "If it's help with a poem or creative writing, I'll help you out tomorrow when you get back from school…go back to bed."

Lucy grabbed Lincoln's left shoulder and forced him to turn towards her. "It's not about a poem, or story. It's about how we can get Lynn back!"

Lincoln shot back up as he gave his little sister a scrutinizing look. "Lucy, please don't joke about something like that."

"I'm not joking about anything. I mean it, there is a way to bring Lynn back to life…but…it's dangerous," said Lucy.

Lincoln narrowed his gaze and asked, "How?"

Lucy maneuvered herself off of his bed and waved her hand for him to follow. Lincoln quickly followed after her, exiting his room and headed towards the pull down stairs to the attic. Ever since Lynn's death, Lucy refused to stay in the room she and Lynn shared in life, so, she took up residence in the attic. With Lisa's help, they managed to make the attic better insulated against the cold for the winter time, allowing Lucy to stay there. Their parents were worried about this arrangement, seeing as how their already gothic daughter was always thinking about death, the macabre, and occult, unpleasant thoughts would enter their heads, and the heads of the other Loud siblings.

Lincoln headed up the stairs and into the attic, closing the stairs door once he did. Inside, the room was lit by a lamp, Lucy's bed and coffin were off to one side of the room, her collection of literature occupied another side of the attic close to Lucy's bed, while her pet bat, Fangs, roosted up in the rafters. A number of items were taken out of the attic to accommodate its new tenant, some things were put in storage, others were placed in the garage, and others were just pushed to the far end of the attic.

Lincoln noticed that there were many boxes opened around Lucy's bed, along with a number of books that Lincoln didn't recognize. "Okay, you said we can bring her back, how?"

Lucy walked over to her bed and, after moving her coffin, bade Lincoln to come over. The middle child did as he was asked and sat on the bed across from Lucy. The dark haired girl opened up a book and showed Lincoln a page that had seven images. One looked like a knight with a sword, another was a man holding a spear, the third was an bowman, the fourth looked like a wizard, the fifth looked like a killer, the sixth a charioteer, and the seventh a monster. All seven of them surrounded something that looked like a chalice.

"What is this?" Lincoln asked.

"Every so many years, there is an item of great magical power that appears in our world. It's called the Holy Grail," Lucy explained.

"Wait, are you talking about the holy grail from the Bible?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, not that one, although, they may be the same anyway. But, the one I am speaking of, is a near omnipotent magical artifact that has the power to grant any wish a person desires, nothing is impossible for it, time, space, not even death is beyond its grasp."

"So…you're saying that this can bring Lynn back, if this is real, how do we get it?" Lincoln asked, still skeptical.

Lucy could sense his skepticism, which she couldn't blame him for it. "It's not as simple as finding it. When this item appears, seven mages are chosen to fight for this item, they are called Masters. The seven Masters summon seven Servants – Heroic Spirits – to fight as their proxies. The last Master and Servant standing in this Holy Grail War, earns the right to make their wish upon it."

"Masters, Servants, Heroic Spirits…Lucy, what are you getting at?" Lincoln asked desperately.

Lucy sighed. "Sigh. I want us to enter into this Grail War, you and me, Lincoln. Together, we'll fight the other six Masters and obtain the Grail. However, before that, I need to awaken the magic inside you, as I did myself."

"Okay, Luce, I am really in no mood for pretend! Jesus, why did I even think for one second that –!"

Lincoln's words died in his mouth as he watched Lucy's right hand glow purple. With a flick of her wrist, the dark haired girl vanished from his sight. Lincoln reached out to the spot were she was, feeling around for her, the spot where she sat was still warm, so she wasn't a ghost.

"Impressive, yes?"

"GAH!" Lincoln yelped as he backed up to the headboard, now finding that Lucy had somehow gotten behind him. "H-How did – when did you?!"

"Turns out I was more in tune with my Magic Circuits than I would've thought. I was doing that without knowing it was magic for years now," said Lucy.

Lincoln was somehow not completely surprise that Lucy's ability to suddenly appear out of nowhere was due to some supernatural ability, because despite how many times he would check the rooms, somehow, someway, Lucy always managed to appear as if she was there the entire time.

"H-How did you learn that?"

"Great Grandmother Harriet." Lucy turned the pages of the book and showed that the name inside the book read "Harriet Loud". "Great Grandmother came from a long line of mages, she gathered information and materials needed to participate in the Holy Grail War, but she never got around to it. Life happened, but she never stopped gathering information, all the way until her death."

Lincoln couldn't believe it, their family was descendant from mages, magic users, magic was real. "I…I can't believe this…wow…!" Lincoln took a moment to gather his thoughts. "So, you're saying we could do this, we could enter this War and fight to get the Grail. Where is it?"

Lucy smiled as she went to one of the boxes and pulled out another tome. "Great Grandmother may have had the gift of clairvoyance. Up until now, all the Holy Grail Wars have taken place in Europe, with the last one having taken place in Japan. Now, all signs are pointing to North America hosting the next Grail War, more specifically, the United States. And the spot that she predicted the Grail would appear, was right here in Royal Woods."

Lincoln was starting to get excited, the wish granting item was going to appear, practically, in their own backyard, it was so close, which meant Lynn could be brought back. "Okay…Okay, so what do we have to do?!"

Lucy raised her hand in a stopping motion. "Lincoln, I would be remised if I didn't tell you that this…this will be dangerous."

Lincoln looked at her with confusion. "But it's like a game right?"

"No, my dear brother, it is not a game. Something with that much power, something that can only be grasped by the last one standing. Such power has seen much bloodshed. There's a reason why it's called the Holy Grail _War_. People have died fighting over this. There's two ways of winning, either you defeat the other Master's Servant, or, you kill their Master, both are acceptable ways of winning, including surrender. If we do this, Lincoln, we'll be wading into a battle filled with bloodshed, we'll be entering a world from which there's no turning back. Knowing this, are you prepared to take that leap?"

Lucy edged herself closer to Lincoln. "Are you prepared to take the life of another person if it meant getting Lynn back?"

Time seemed to slow in that moment. A battle that wagered the lives of those who participated, death and destruction were assured to whom so ever joined in this Grail War, a seven way battle royal where there would be no allies, only enemies. The only way to get this all-powerful item, was to kill everyone who stood in your way. Was Lincoln ready to do that? Was he ready to kill another person if it meant he could bring back the person he loved?

"I…I…don't know, Lucy," Lincoln answered.

"I expected more from the boy who was in love with our sister," Lucy accused.

Lincoln's eyes widened with shock. "W-W-WHAT?!"

Lucy crossed her arms and sat crossed legged. "You don't think I didn't notice? All the times Lynn would sneak out of our room, and return later with a stupidly happy grin on her face? The way you two stayed close to each other, the blushes? The small intimate moments? The others may not have an eye for the forbidden, but I do. I know you and Lynn were in love with each other, Lincoln Loud. That's why her death hurts you more than the rest of our family, because, for you, you didn't just lose a close sister. You lost your lover."

Lincoln started to cry, and yet, he smiled. "Heh…I guess it was stupid of us to think we could hide it forever…but I'm also kind of happy that someone knows…" Lucy crawled towards Lincoln and hugged him tight. "You're not…afraid of me? Or disgusted?"

Lucy pulled back and looked Lincoln in the eye, relatively speaking. "There is beauty in the forbidden, Lincoln. What I saw between you two, was beautiful. It was not born of lust, but of love, a love that neither of you were sure of until you both jumped in together. The world may not approve, the rest of our family wouldn't, but you'd needn't ever fear that of me." Lucy rested her head against her brother's chest and sighed calmly. "And no, I am not afraid of you, or your touch."

Lincoln felt some of the weight inside himself become lighter in this moment, he hugged Lucy tightly against him. This whole time he had no one to confide in about his feelings for Lynn, or what they shared, about how much more he was hurting than anyone else in the house, but here this person was, Lucy.

"I hurt the same way as you do, Lynn wasn't just my roommate, or just my sister, she was my best friend, and I want her back. So, I'll ask you again, Lincoln. For the one who was your lover, for the person that you wished to share your life with, for my friend. Are you prepared to go to war to bring her back? " Lucy asked.

Lincoln thought, he thought about Lynn, all their intimate moments, all the fun times as just siblings, all the secret dates they went on, all of it culminated in his heart and mind. And then, he thought about the accident, how she was robbed from him, from their family. It wasn't fair, no it just wasn't fair. But now, it seems Fate has decided to give Lincoln a chance to undo what was done, to right the wrong Fate itself had made. And all he had to, was battle six other people, six strangers who were willing to kill for what they wanted. There was only one chance to make this happen, the odds of something like this occurring so close to home were one in a trillion.

"……Yes."

Lucy looked up at her brother. "Yes, what?"

"I am…I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring her back," said Lincoln with finality. "How do we start?"

Lucy smiled, she knew she could count on her brother. The young sorceress backed away and got off the bed, she walked over to the same box and showed Lincoln a large chunk of stone that had some strange markings on it.

"First, we need to awaken your Magical Circuits. Great Grandmother Harriet sealed them a long time ago, but she wrote down how to release that lock."

"How long will it take?" Lincoln asked.

"The process will only take a couple of minutes, after that, you're going to feel feverish for a day. Do you remember way back when I came down with something and had to stay home from school?"

Lincoln did remember that day, Lucy had a high temperature, but no one else in the house got sick. She wasn't sneezing or coughing, just ran a high fever. Their parents were going to take her to see a doctor, but then it broke, they still took her in, but as far as the doctors could tell, she was fine. "So that's why…"

"Yes. After that, I'll need to train you. We have six months before the Grail War begins, if Great Grandmother's notes are accurate. Just a little before then, we'll summon our Servant with this catalyst." Lucy pointed to the stone in her hand.

"You still haven't told me, what is a 'Servant' or 'Heroic Spirit'?"

Lucy explained as much as she could. The Heroic Spirits were spirits of those from history or legend, their heroic deeds and feats recorded into the Throne of Heroes, making them eligible to be summoned as Servants to fight on the mage's behalf during the Holy Grail War. These spirits could be almost anyone from history, or from ancient legends, and each one would need to be summoned to one of the seven classes of Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, and Berserker.

She went on stating that the spirits could only be summoned into one of the seven classes, there was no repeating of any one class at any point in time. Many figures from history and legend can fit into any one of the seven classes depending on their deeds and which classes have already been summoned.

"Some summons don't require a catalyst, but then it's pretty much a luck of the draw to what kind of Servant you're summoning. But with one, you're guaranteed a powerful Servant, especially with this. A piece of the Round Table," said Lucy.

Lincoln looked at the rock again, the words registering in his head. "Whoa, wait, hold up. You're saying that's a piece of _the _Round Table? As in, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table?! _That _table?!"

Lucy nodded.

Lincoln now looked upon the rock with reverence.

"With this, we're guaranteed to be able to summon one of the Knights of the Round Table. Including King Arthur himself," Lucy explained. "For he too sat at the table, and proclaimed that all were equal who sat before it. Our chances of summoning one as a Saber, Archer, or Lancer are also higher, as all of them were proficient as swordsmen, jousters, and bowmen!"

Lincoln was liking their odds now, King Arthur and his knights are some of the most widely known, and famous, heroes around the world. The noble king and his kingdom of Camelot, fighting to keep peace in their land. How could they not get someone strong?

"Quick question, is awakening these 'Magic Circuits'…painful?" Lincoln asked.

"……No."

"You're hesitation says otherwise."

* * *

Ronnie Anne lied awake in her bed, it was Saturday and it was late in the night. Her digital clock showed that it was one in the morning, and yet, the young Latina couldn't stop feeling restless tonight. To be honest, she hadn't felt that good since she found out that Lynn Loud Jr. died. The entire Casagrande family was called to the funeral, with Bobby consoling Lori, as well as Ronnie Anne's mother doing the same for Mrs. Loud.

Ronnie Anne tried to do the same for Lincoln, after all, she was his friend and at one point her crush, but the young man was like a ghost, a hollow shell. It saddened Ronnie Anne to see her friend in such a state, she knew that both Lincoln and Lynn were getting closer over these past two years, the video chats showed her that much, as Lynn would sometimes interject into their conversations.

However, their video calls, texting, or just calling in general, went mostly unreciprocated. Ronnie Anne worried about Lincoln, and because of that worry, she had asked Bobby to take her back to Royal Woods. Lori decided it was a good idea, as she too wanted to see her family. When Ronnie Anne saw him face to face after a week, it looked like he was acting semi like his old self, but Ronnie Anne could tell that the boy was not alright.

She asked some of his sisters to give her a call and give her some updates on him, they understood, she was worried about him, like they all were. Now, here she lied, staring up at her ceiling, contemplating exactly what she could do to bring back her old friend.

"Ronnie Anne, you alright?"

The Latina glanced to her right and smiled. Next to her was her best friend, and girl whom she had developed a deep relationship with, Sid Chang. The freckled faced girl looked upon her with worry, but Ronnie Anne just wore her smile.

"I'm fine…sorta," she answered.

"Still thinking about Lincoln…do I have competition?" Syd asked coyly.

Ronnie Anne smirked and dove at Sid, lying atop her and making the half-Chinese girl look deep into Ronnie Anne's chestnut colored eyes. "You know it's not like that, at least not anymore it isn't."

"There's the girl who got freaky with me a couple of hours ago," Sid replied.

"Pervert."

"Wow, that's the pot calling the kettle black."

Ronnie Anne thought for a moment and shrugged. "Touché." The Latina slid down a little and rested her head on Sid's chest. "But, yeah, I am thinking about him. It's just not fair, Sid, Lincoln's a great guy, and to just lose one of his siblings like that…I can't even imagine what that feels like."

Sid stroked the back of Ronnie Anne's head as she shivered. "I know, I don't even want to think about that with Adelaide, but…it's not like we can go back in time and stop that accident from happening. Or…well…nah, we can't. Question, is what happened to Lincoln's sister what helped you to take the leap with me?"

Ronnie Anne smiled sadly. "I know it's terrible reason, but…knowing that life can just end for you just like that…I didn't want to have any regrets, so…yeah, I wanted to tell you how I felt, no matter if it destroyed our friendship."

Sid smiled. "I'm glad you did take that leap. You know I've liked spending time with you, and yeah, we've messed around a couple of times before now. But now, it feels nice to have be official. If you want, maybe we could name our kid in honor of Lincoln's sister?"

Ronnie Anne raised her eyebrow. "Wow, 'our kid', looking ahead there aren't ya?"

Sid blushed as she began to fidget. "I…well…I just, you know, it's a thought…sorry."

Ronnie Anne slid up and kissed Sid on the cheek. "It's fine with me, I honestly don't mind seeing myself with you in the future. Just promise me you won't start acting like Bobby or Lori, I got enough of that stuff when they were around each other."

"Awww, you don't want be my Boo-Boo Bear?" Sid asked in a cheesy voice.

Ronnie Anne deadpanned. "Yeah, no, you are _not _calling me that." Ronnie Anne looked back at her clock and sighed. "You'd better head back up to your room, don't want your parents to worry."

Sid's face fell upon hearing that. "You still want to tell them, right? About us?"

"I just need some time, I don't think they'd be angry or disappointed, I mean, they seemed alright around Luna during Christmas and Thanksgiving, but then again, it wasn't their own family member. I'll put out some feelers and see how they take it," said Ronnie Anne. "What about you're folks?"

"Mom and Dad never really talked to me about that kind of stuff, I mean, I've crushed hard on the boys from '_12 is Midnight_', especially Yoon Kwan, so I guess they just thought that I was into them, but, you know."

"Guess we both got some work to do."

Sid kissed Ronnie Anne on her forehead and climbed got out of Ronnie Anne's bed. She opened the window, smiled, and then made her way up the fire escape. Ronnie Anne smiled as she rolled onto the side of the pillow were Sid was sleeping, her scent was still present.

Ronnie Anne felt the call of nature and groaned as she got out of the bed and went to the bathroom. On her way to her room, she noticed a strange glow coming from inside. Ronnie Anne, curious, cautiously walked through the door, her desk drawer was glowing yellow, why though, she did not know.

The young Latina opened the drawer and saw a rock, but it wasn't just any rock. It was one that she had gotten from her father after the divorce. A friend of his found this strange rock that had weird markings on it, her father knew that she liked strange objects and sent it to her. Ronnie Anne had kept the rock as not just a reminder of her father, but also because it felt like it gave it strength somehow.

Now that same rock was glowing, the markings giving off a strange aura that resonated with Ronnie Anne. While she was being mesmerized by the light, Ronnie Anne didn't notice that her Abuela, Rosa Casagrande, was right behind her.

"Ronnie Anne, what is going on?!" she asked.

The teenage girl whipped around in a panic. "Abuela, I-I don't…my lucky rock just started glowing! I swear, I didn't do anything!"

Rosa walked over to the rock, she stared directly at it as her brow furrowed. The elderly woman waved her hand over it in circles as she spoke aloud, "Duerme ahora, descansa. Duerme ahora, descansa. Estar en paz" Rosa continued this chant as she waved her hand in small circles above the stone, and after a minute of this, the rock's glow began to fade away, the humming and energy finally stopped.

Ronnie Anne didn't know what she just witnessed or heard, she knew her grandmother was into the mystical and supernatural stuff, but this was different. "Abuela…w-what did you do?"

"I simply asked it to rest and to be at peace." Rosa carefully grabbed the rock and then looked at Ronnie Anne. "Mija, where did you get this?"

"It was a gift from my Dad, he found it while in Peru and sent it to me, I've always kept it around, but it never glowed!"

Rosa looked back at the rock and hummed in contemplation. "I was wondering why I felt a strange energy in this house for all these years, I thought it was just because you, your brother, and my little Maria came back. Now I see it was due to this, and you say it just now started to do this?"

Ronnie Anne nodded vigorously. "What is going on, Abuela?"

The older Hispanic woman's eyes shifted between her granddaughter and the rock, with a reluctant sigh, Rosa said, "Come, there is something I need to show you."

Ronnie Anne, confused, decided to follow her Abuela. The two of them walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. The two of them ended up in the laundry room, Rosa then headed to the hole in the wall that was refashioned into a private activity room for the tenants of the building. The elderly woman stopped and then turned around to face Ronnie Anne.

"Mija, I need to know now. Because, what I am about to show you is a family secret, one that I have kept even from your Abuelo. Are you sure you want to see?" Rosa asked.

Ronnie Anne could tell her grandmother was serious, she looked down upon her with eyes of scrutiny, waiting for the answer. Ronnie Anne was not one to back down from danger, she always faced a problem head on, and she would be damned if she chickened out now.

"I want to see," said Ronnie Anne.

Rosa nodded and waved for Ronnie Anne to follow. Once inside the room, Rosa moved the rug and placed her hand on the floor. She spoke in a low tone, and then, glowing lines etched themselves into the concrete, which then descended into stairs that lead further down. Ronnie Anne kept her cool as best she could, knowing full well that there was probably more craziness to come. The two Hispanic women walked down the stairs and into a small tunnel that lead to a wooden door at the end.

Rosa opened the door and showed Ronnie Anne some kind of workshop. Inside were different items, some she was sure were used in her grandmother's "remedies" or whenever she did her magic, voodoo, stuff. Rosa walked over to one of the benches and placed the rock on the table. She brought over a stool and had Ronnie Anne sit on it while Rosa sat on another.

"Mija, my side of the family comes from a long lineage of bruja's. Witches, or what you young people call today, mages," said Rosa.

"What?!" Ronnie Anne exclaimed.

"Of course, my family hasn't practiced for some time, but I've been fascinated by the mystical arts since I was a little girl. I know that there are some scary uses for magic, but I wanted to show that it could do some good. Even if it was small. Ever since you arrived, I felt that you had the gift as well, and it seems that this rock was the proof."

Ronnie Anne looked at the rock and asked, "What is it?"

"A piece of a very ancient, very divine place. I don't know how it wound up in Peru, but you are lucky to have it." Rosa turned her attention back to her granddaughter. "Ronnie Anne, I know you are saddened by the death of your friend's sister, and I can see that its been troubling you for days now."

Ronnie Anne looked down at the floor. "I just don't think it's fair. Something like that shouldn't happen, not to Lincoln, and not to Lynn! If there was a way to take it back, I'd do it!"

Rosa seemed hesitant to bring it up, but knew that this would continue to bother Ronnie Anne. "What if I told you there was a way to reverse what Fate has brought about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Soon, there will be a battle waged for something called the Holy Grail. It grants the winner one wish, whatever it may be."

Ronnie Anne jumped off the stool and looked up at her grandmother with wide eyes. "Y-You're serious?! You're not pulling my leg?!"

"No, Mija, I am not. There is such an item. However, getting it will not be easy. There will be six others who will want it as well, for there can only be seven participants. You will need to summon a mighty being to fight at your side, a Heroic Spirit, this spirit will protect you, and fight the others who try to get in your way. This is a battle to the death, there can only be one winner. I don't tell you this so that you can just blindly enter, Ronalda, I want you to know the risks involved. If you wish to enter, I will help you prepare as best I can, but make sure that this is something that you truly wish to endeavor, knowing that your life is on the line."

Ronnie Anne thought about this, a seven way battle to the death to obtain a wish granting item. The best case scenario is that she wins and makes the wish to bring back her former crush's beloved sister. Some would call her a fool for going to such lengths, but Ronnie Anne wasn't some heartless girl, if there was one thing you could count on her for, it was to stick by and help her friends in a pinch. Lincoln was hurting, his family was hurting, and with Lori and Bobby together, that made Lincoln her family too, and you never turn your back on family.

"I want to do it, how do we start this?!" Ronnie Anne asked with determination.

Rosa wasn't sure if she did the right thing this day, but her granddaughter was strong and resourceful, plus, the card reading she did regarding Lincoln and Ronnie Anne foretold of something dark coming, something that would require the two of them to keep it from rising.

"Very well, I'll help you awaken your magic, and once we've done that, we'll use this stone to summon your Heroic Spirit," said Rosa.

"What kind of 'spirit' will it be?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"It can be anyone depending the catalyst. A figure from history, a hero of legend or from a fairytale. However, with this stone…" Rosa smiled. "The spirit that we'll summon will be quite powerful."


	2. The Summoning

The Loud House had seen some changes in the middle child of the family as of late. Almost six months had passed since Lynn Loud Jr.'s death, two weeks after that, Lincoln had been in a state of depression that worried his family most of the day. However, something had changed in the young thirteen-year-old. He was no longer depressed, but he moved about like he had a purpose. They also noticed that he and Lucy were spending a lot more time together lately, perhaps it was their way of relieving their grief. Lincoln and Lynn were close, and Lucy was close to both of them, so this was probably their way of healing.

Whatever the case may be, neither the Loud girls, nor their parents, were going to question it. Lincoln was getting back to his old self, and that's what mattered. However, the truth was far more complicated than that.

As Lucy had warned him, when she performed the ritual to awaken Lincoln's magical circuits, his body developed a high grade fever for about twenty-four hours. Lucy acted as his nurse to make sure that his family didn't do anything to disrupt the process, and to ensure that the ritual did work. Thankfully, it did, and Lincoln now had access to his magic.

Their six months of preparations were nearly complete, and Lincoln felt both excited and nervous about the prospect, even as he went about his Saturday at his house, he still felt anxious about this endeavor, but all he had to do was think about Lynn and those doubts were snuffed out like a candle in a wind storm.

"Lincoln!"

The white haired boy snapped out his thoughts and turned his attention to the twins. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"I need to run through my routine one more time, and I need you to make sure I've got it down!" Lola stated.

"What, no, I need his help! I may or may not have messed with the water pipes to the house and I need Lincoln to hold a piece of the pipes in place!" Lana countered.

The twins got nose to nose as they stared each other down.

"My pageant is in less than two hours! That can wait!"

"You're pageant can wait, woman! Do you want to have water for your hour long showers or what?!"

Lincoln glanced between the twins and sighed, he then wedged his hands between their faces and pushed them apart, keeping them at arm's length from each other before they could come to blows. "Guys, I can help you both out. Lana, how long do you think it will take to you to fix the pipe?"

"It shouldn't take more than ten minutes, fifteen tops," said Lana.

"Lola, how long do you need for your whole routine?"

"About…an hour, maybe?" Lola answered.

"Okay, since Lana's repair job shouldn't take that long, we'll start there, and then I'll help you out Lola, sound fair?" Lincoln asked.

The twins nodded and Lincoln was off with Lana to fix whatever it was she broke.

The whole time this was going on, Luan and Luna couldn't help but watch this all and smile from their spot on the couch. They hated the fact that it wouldn't be long before Lincoln would have to take up their role as the eldest sibling in charge, a responsibility that Luan and Luna knew would come to them sooner or later once Lori and Leni were off to college, but now with Lynn gone, Lincoln would immediately be thrust into the position without any backup.

"Doesn't seem fair, does it?" Luna asked.

"What, that when we're gone, Lincoln's going to have to be the big brother of the house?" Luan answered.

"Yep. We always had help, Lori had Leni, I have you. But Linc…with Lynn gone, he'll be alone. And, yeah, Lynn would be gone sooner, but at least Lincoln would've had some backup."

"I hear ya. But, maybe not, I mean, Lucy seems like she's stepping up. Maybe she'll help out more?" Luan suggested.

"So long as she doesn't go too deep into her goth thing, I can see that." Luna stretched as she sat up. "I'm going to go and get ready for my date with Sam, you gonna be alright?"

Luan waved off her sister's concern. "Mom'll take Lola to her pageant, and I'm pretty sure Lincoln's going to be out later. So that just leaves Lucy, Lisa, Lana, and Lily."

"Wrong, that leaves just Lisa, Lana, and Lily."

"GAAAH!" Luna and Luan shrieked as Lucy appeared out of nowhere .

"Lincoln and I will be heading out later. We have some activities planned," said Lucy.

Luna waited for her heart rate to go down before she spoke. "Okay…well, just be careful out there, alright?"

Lucy nodded and headed upstairs.

"I swear, it's gotta be magic, how else does he do that," said Luna.

"Yeah, I don't want to think about Lucy having magic."

Speaking of the raven haired girl, Lucy made her way up the attic stairs and into her new room. It had taken many months, but the young sorceress believed she had found an effective medium for Lincoln to wield his magic. He wasn't much like her, whereas Lucy could cast spells with spoken word, written word, or concoctions, Lincoln needed a more tangible item to direct it. Fortunately, his magic also had the added benefit of reinforcing and enhancing his physical abilities without him needing to say a word, but for more powerful spells, he'd need a medium.

Lucy walked over to her little workshop corner, she made a note to make a more proper one, but for now, with so many people living under one roof, secrecy was an art form, and if you wanted to keep something hidden, it had to be done quietly and in small bits. Sitting upon her little work bench was a deck of playing cards.

The goth girl smiled and gave a little chuckle, she had kept her work a secret from her big brother, only telling him that his medium would be "suitable to his liking". Lucy blinked. "Oh no, Luan's rubbing off on me."

Lucy shuddered, but began placing the final touches. Lincoln was an avid Ace Savvy fan, so a deck of magically infused cards would be perfect for him. She'd leave the combinations up to Lincoln, but for now, getting it ready was top priority. Of course, Lucy hadn't been slacking in her training either.

Since she was already versed in the mystic arts, it didn't take her long to learn a few offensive magical arts, curses, illusion arts, and healing. Lucy worked extra hard on the healing magical arts, the raven haired girl knew that she wasn't built for combat, as far as the physical aspect. Lincoln had been working out these last six months, training his body with Lynn's old regimen. It was painful to watch her big brother push himself so hard, Lynn was an athlete, and even with the enhancing magic, Lincoln would still end up a wheezing mess at the end of it.

But he endured it, and thanks to that, his body had begun to develop toned muscles. She remembered the day when Lincoln took off his shirt and showed of his upper body, his muscles, abs…

Lucy shook her head as she felt her face heat up. "Stop it! Don't go there!" Lucy released a wordless sigh. Anyway, yes, Lincoln would be engaging – if needed – in close combat with other mages, or assisting their Servant. Lucy decided to take up the supporting role, using her curses, or casting healing spells. She already lost one sibling, she was not going to lose another. Lucy placed the deck into the spell circle she etched into the wood.

With a wave of her hand, the circle came to life, glowing a low violet light as she began her work. "Reinforce, to protect from destruction." A layer of white light shined through each card before stopping at the bottom card. "Infuse, to take in magic." Another layer of light, this time blue, washed over the deck. "Invocation, to call forth a spell by the caster." A third light of yellow washed over the deck. "Combine together, and with this…" Lucy took out a strand of Lincoln's white hair. "You will be bound to his magic, his word."

Lucy placed the hair strand atop the deck, the hair broke down and bathed the deck in vermillion light. The deck glowed brighter until it released a powerful flash, and with that the deck was complete, her brother's tool for combat was ready. Lucy's lips curled into a small smile, despite her creation of a comic book for her brother when he took the fall for clogging the toilet with a Princess Pony book, she never really felt like she thanked him properly for that. Now, this would serve as the perfect apology gift, and a useful tool.

The young ten-year-old grabbed a leather deck carrying case and took the cards with her. She descended the stairs from the attic and prepared to find Lincoln, only for her to turn around and see him standing there. "GASP!"

Lucy lost her footing and began to fall, Lincoln acted quickly, holding out his arms to catch his little sister before she hit the floor. The goth girl suddenly found herself in her brother's strong arms, princess style.

"Whoa, you alright Luce?" Lincoln asked.

Lucy blushed. "S-Sorry, I was on my way to look for you, but I wasn't expecting you to be right behind me."

"Hmm, gee, don't ya just hate it when that happens?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Lucy deadpanned. "Could you, please put me down now?"

Lincoln did as she asked. "So, what's up? What did you need me for?"

Lucy cleared her throat and presented him with the deck and carrying case. "I finished it. This is yours, Lincoln."

Lincoln immediately understood what she meant, carefully he took the deck from her hands. On the surface, it looked like a normal deck of playing cards, but with Lincoln's awakened magical senses, he could tell that these weren't ordinary cards, he felt a connection to them, as if they were an extension of himself.

"With those, you'll be able to cast different spells, depending on the combination of cards. With a simple thought, you'll draw the cards you need to enact your spell," Lucy explained.

"Lucy…this is, this is so cool! Admit it, you did this because I like Ace Savvy!"

Lucy blushed and nodded. She then let out a wordless gasp when she felt Lincoln wrap his arms around her in a hug.

"Thank you, I can tell you worked really hard on these. I promise to put them to good use!"

Lucy felt her heart race, but managed to push that aside and give her brother a hug. "You're welcome, Lincoln."

Lincoln released Lucy and asked, "So, we're on for tonight?"

"Yes, we'll meet at the spot I told you about. I set up a Bounded Field there, no one will be around to disturb us."

"Okay."

"By the way, why are you up here?"

"Oh crap!"

"LINCOLN! HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A BATON!" Lola screamed.

"COMING!"

Lincoln dashed into Lola and Lana's room, finding the baton and rushed right down, passing by Luna as he did so. Luna walked to the top of the stairs and looked in Lucy's direction. The goth girl walked towards the stairs and said, "Have fun on your date," before walking away.

Luna watched her little brother and sister walk away, their words still echoing in her head. "Yeah…thanks."

* * *

In Great Lakes City, another young mage was finishing her preparations. Ronnie Anne had been studying diligently under her grandmother, learning different spells and training her body for the confrontation to come. Rosa had instructed Ronnie Anne to work on her gunplay, to which, Ronnie Anne would make frequent visits to the laser tag arenas, paintball fields, as well as playing as many different shooter games at the arcades.

Of course she kept this all a secret from her family, especially Sid. She felt bad about that, Sid was someone she loved, a best friend, and now a girlfriend, and Ronnie Anne didn't want to mess that up. But, she also knew if she told Sid, the half-Chinese girl might talk her out of it. After all, when you say it out loud, it was a crazy endeavor. Entering a death battle for a magical wish granting item, only to use said wish for someone else's sake. A selfless act, as Ronnie Anne had many different things she could ask of the Grail.

A better life for her whole family, wealth, world peace? What better life could she ask for? Ronnie Anne was with a great, quirky girl, her whole family may not be filthy stinking rich, but they were wealthy enough, plus, they were rich in the love and bonds they shared with each other. Plus, if world peace needed a wish granting item to make it happen, then it what would be the point? World peace should be achieved through understanding and accepting of differences, if mankind couldn't do that on their own, then why put that burden on the Holy Grail?

Today was Saturday, the day that Ronnie Anne would summon her Servant and then begin her journey back to Royal Woods to start her bloody struggle. So before then, Ronnie Anne decided to spend some time in the park with Sid, feeding some pigeons before they moved onto their next activity. As morbid as it sounded, Ronnie Anne wanted to at least have something fond to look back on in case the worst case scenario was brought about.

"Hey, Ronnie Anne, you alright?" Sid asked.

Ronnie Anne was snapped out of her inward thoughts as she turned her attention back to Sid. "Oh, yeah, sorry! I guess I zoned out a little."

"You sure you aren't too tired? You have been hitting the gym a lot lately." Sid ran her hand up Ronnie Anne's toned arm and gave her a half-lidded stare. "Not that I don't like the results."

Ronnie Anne smirked. "Geez, could not undress me with your eyes while we're in public?"

"Oh, you know you like it," Sid joked.

The girls finished dispensing their crumbs to the pigeons and began their walk. Ronnie Anne kept her hands in her jean short pockets, every once in a while glancing over at Sid's hands. She really wanted to hold her hand, or for them to walk arm in arm, but they still hadn't come out yet to their folks, or to their neighbors, so that was a negative for the time being.

"Sid…I need to tell you something," said Ronnie Anne.

Sid glanced to her girlfriend and asked, "What's up?"

"I'm going to be heading to Royal Woods for a little while."

Sid cocked her head to the side. "Okay, what's wrong with that? Are you going to go visit Lincoln?"

"Kinda…there's something I want to do for him, and I don't know how long it'll take to get everything together, but this is something I have to do, and I just…" Ronnie Anne stopped walking.

Sid did the same, and now she had a look of concern on her face. "Ronnie Anne, what's wrong? You sound like you're not coming back or something?"

"I totally intend to come back, to this city, to my family, to you," Ronnie Anne gently placed her hand on Sid's shoulder. "But…if something happens…just…promise me you'll find someone who likes you as much I as do."

"What?!"

_Dammit! Why the hell did I say that?!_

Sid brushed Ronnie Anne's hand away and looked her in the eyes. "Ronnie Anne, what's going on? You sound like you're going off to die or something! Are you…are we…?"

Ronnie Anne's eyes bulged, she quickly embraced Sid and held her tight. "No, I'm not breaking up with you! I would never do that! I want to be with you!"

"Then…tell me what you're doing, you can tell me anything, Ronnie Anne, you know that," said Sid.

The young Latina released Sid and sighed. "Maybe I should…but, not right now. I just want to think about us, and do things together…If you really want to know, come by the laundry room later tonight. I'll show you then, I promise."

Sid didn't like it, Ronnie Anne was planning something, and it was most likely dangerous, but why did it involve going to Royal Woods? And somehow, Sid thought, this had to involve Lincoln Loud, she knew Lincoln was Ronnie Anne's best friend, but they're conversations lately had been far and few between, she figured that they just hadn't talked anymore. However, Sid could see that Ronnie Anne wanted to have this day with her and not have to think about what she was going to do.

With a sigh, Sid smiled and said, "Alright, but I'm holding you to your promise."

"Believe me, I never go back on a promise," said Ronnie Anne.

Sid smiled and kissed Ronnie Anne on the forehead quickly. "I know, that's one of the reasons why I like you."

* * *

A young girl of sixteen was on her way to her family's estate. She came from a long line of mages, although not one of the Three Great Families, their standing was still not something to be sneezed at. Her name was Abagail Dioland, her family migrated to the United States ages ago, and ever since had established themselves in U. S. politics and military positions.

For years, their family had tried to make the Holy Grail appear in North America, but each time it would deny them, appearing somewhere in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, but never in the United States. At some point, one of their family members had thought to provoke one, by engaging in some rather dubious forms of magic. However, it seemed that fate had other plans.

Yes, because for the first time in centuries, the Holy Grail was appearing right here in the United States, and Abagail wanted first crack at it. Currently, she was in Washington D. C., heading off to see her father after she learned of the news. Her friends were texting and calling her to see if she wanted to hang out, she gave them plenty of different excuses, besides, this was going to be bigger than some boys or a mall trip, this was life or death, this would be the Dioland family's chance to rise above the Three Great Families and do what none of them could.

The limo Abagail rode in finally stopped before a large, two story town home. The driver got out and quickly opened the door, the sun was out that day, and its rays illuminated her form. She had long blonde hair, with forest green eyes, she wore a navy blue dress, with black stockings and matching white heeled shoes. The young lady walked briskly and quickly through her mansion of a home and made her way to her father's study.

She gave a few knocks to the door and awaited a response.

"Enter."

Abagail opened the doors, inside was a wooden, mahogany desk, polished so well that it reflected the lights from the ceiling and sun. Bookshelves lined both sides of the wall, below her was a Persian rug, and a fireplace on the opposite wall. The man sitting in the chair behind the desk was a tall, yet well built man. His hair was graying, but he also possessed the same forest green eyes as she did.

"Hmm, Abagail, what brings you home so early. I thought you'd be out later," he said.

"I honestly couldn't wait when I heard the news! There's going to be a Holy Grail War happening soon right here in our own backyard!"

Her father grinned. "Indeed, aside from dealing with all this chaos in this administration, this has come as a breath of fresh air."

"Do we know where it's going to show up?" Abagail asked.

Mr. Dioland took out some papers and placed them on his desk for his daughter to see. "From what our intel has been able to gather, we believe it's going to appear in Michigan, in the town of Royal Woods."

"Father, you have to allow me to enter! I've been training and my puppet magic is second to none! Let me summon the Servant and I'll go to Royal Woods to claim the Grail!"

Mr. Dioland grimaced. "I will not."

Abagail looked like she had just been insulted upon hearing those words. "W-What?! But, Father, why not?!"

"Because, your cousin, Drake, has been preparing. We're still trying to track down a good catalyst object for the summoning, but as it stands we may just need to do the summoning without one." Mr. Dioland bit his lip. "I don't like doing that, you never know what kind of Servant you're going to summon without one."

"Drake! He's hardly suitable for such a task!" Abagail fumed. "My mastery of puppet magic is far better than his! Please, let me do it! I can be on a plane before–!"

Mr. Dioland slammed his fist on his desk. "I will not risk my own daughter's life!" Abagail flinched. "Grail Wars are riddled with death, and at best you walk away scarred, mentally and – more often than not – physically. At worst you die a horrible death depending on your opponent."

Mr. Dioland stood up from his desk, showing the tremendous height difference between himself and his daughter, he towered over her, a statuesque man with broad shoulders and large hands. "I will not risk my only child wade into such carnage. Your cousin is expendable, but also capable. He'll do well enough. Now, I don't want to hear anymore talk about going to Michigan or the Grail, understood."

Abagail gritted her teeth, but lowered her head and said, "I understand." _That I'll just have to take matters into my own hands…_

* * *

Disgraced, Excommunicated, the Devil's Workmen, these are the words one would associate with the Eltham family. Their creation, Etherlite, was a alchemic marvel, but many in the Mage's Association saw this creation as something that could easily tear apart the fabric of society, and was seen as an abomination onto to the natural order. Etherlite, the ability to hack another's nervous system, and essentially, their spirit as well. But it served another purpose, it could easily hack someone's mind and copy memories and experiences, and by essence, transfer them into another's body, or one could transfer their own mind and spirit into another's, practically overwriting another's life with their own.

It was due to this creation, that the family was disgraced and shunned from anything associated with magecraft. Any mage family dared not offer them aid or be seen in the same light as them.

"Not any longer…"

Rosso Eltham, she was sixteen years old, at least that's how she looked. She was olive skinned, with cherry red hair, and amber eyes. She lived in squalor for a long time, in the slums of a city she had long forgotten the name of. She didn't bother to remember where she'd been, she only cared about where she was going.

You see, Rosso was the last of the Eltham family. The Mage's Association, the cruel bastards that they were, saw their Etherlite creation as the Devil's work, and to make sure that the research was completely erased, instigated an erasure of the family altogether. Men, women, children, babies, all were to be killed, for if even one of them was alive to continue the work, then they'd surely bring it back.

And they almost succeeded, but they missed one. Rosso used the Etherlite to transfer her consciousness, her spirit, into another body. Since then, she'd been moving from one body to the next, she forgot most of what she once was, it didn't help to remember that. She hopped into the body of a girl, and then into a boy, and then another boy, back to another girl, another boy, and so on and so forth.

Gender didn't matter to her anymore, she had done things in the bodies of both genders, to the point that Rosso had forgotten what her original gender was. She felt comfortable in either one that she didn't really care anymore. She sometimes lacked the proper materials some days to make more Etherlite, and sometimes had to stay in one body for longer than she wanted to. She only resorted to drastic measures when she was sure that she had the materials needed to move into another body.

But, thankfully, her suffering, her humiliation, it was all about to come to an end. The last body she inhabited before this one was that of a prostitute. People tended to say a lot of things when screwing some unknown person, spilling secrets when they were drunk and high on sex, or drugs. Rosso had managed to get some information from a mage, telling them everything, one of the Dioland's little lackeys.

It was from this man that she learned that the Holy Grail would soon appear in a little town called Royal Woods in Michigan. It was a ways away, but Rosso managed to get close now. She was just on the outskirts of the town, in a place called Hazeltucky, lurking in the alley of a couple of businesses as she contemplated her next move. The body she inhabited was clean, she forgot this one's name, but it didn't matter, bodies were just husks.

Rosso had gathered the materials needed for her summoning, the catalyst in this case was a feather from cloak, to the untrained eye, it was rubbish, but to a mage, it was tainted with magical energy, and not the friendly kind. That was fine, she needed a servant who could kill, who could torture and make her enemies suffer as much as Rosso had.

But, first, she needed something crucial to her summons. Blood. As if by providence, Rosso spotted two candidates. One was a tan skinned, large boy, with black hair that covered his eyes. The second was another large boy, light skinned boy, with a spiked mullet, and wearing a shirt with the sleeves torn off. Both boys looked about fifteen, and looked like the unsavory type not to turn down something if it was being dangled in front of them. At this age, there were two things that motivated boys like these, money, and sex.

"Ah, dude, did you see how that kid cried when I took his candy, Hawk?" the tan skinned boy asked.

"Yeah, Hank, he was all like, 'Wah, give me my candy back!' Ha, ha, and then you gave him that wedgy!" Hawk answered.

_Oh, yeah, no one will miss them_, thought Rosso.

Rosso stepped out into the open, and gave the two rowdy boys her classic bedroom eyes. "Hey boys."

Hank and Hawk stopped walking and turned to the girl.

"You talking to us?" Hank asked.

_No you dimwits, the other two boys walking along this street. Of course it's fucking you! _

"Yes, I am," said Rosso in a sultry voice.

"What d'ya want?" Hawk asked.

"A little money, I'm passing through and I'm running short on cash," Rosso explained.

"A drifter, get a job ya bum," said Hank.

"Well, technically, I am at work now. I really don't need much, and for you two, I'd be willing to give you a discount for my… 'services'."

Hank and Hawk glanced to each other, this girl couldn't possibly mean what _that_, right? As if reading their minds, Rosso discreetly pulled up her shirt and flashed her tits at the two teenage boys.

"Full commando boys, you're not going to tell me that you're afraid of paying for a cheap price for some pussy, right?" Rosso goaded.

"We ain't afraid of shit! I'll pay!" Hawk stated.

"Dude if you're in, I'm in!" Hank replied.

_Too easy…_

* * *

The Iselam family had one credo, to pursue true beauty, this defined their magic, defined their way of living, to the point that their quest to bring forth the most beautiful person was passed down from one generation to the next. For this, they needed the Holy Grail, for only an object of such perfection could bring forth true beauty.

Torek Iselam, at the age of twenty he was already in line to become the head of the Iselam family, his hair was a shimmering platinum blonde color, his eyes were as blue as sapphires and sparkled as if they were cut from the very gemstones themselves. He had a chiseled jaw, and his body was sculpted with muscles, not so much as to make him into a bulky body builder, but just enough to make him simply irresistible to the opposite sex.

Currently, Torek was busy relaxing on the beach at a hotel that his family owned, he had surrounded himself with many women, all dressed in various revealing swimsuits who were either playing in the ocean or sunbathing next to him.

An elderly man in a butler's uniform walked onto the beach and stopped just behind the chair Torek was lounging on. "Forgive me, Master Iselam, but you have a call from your mother."

"I see, well, tell her I'm currently occupied," said Torek.

"She's very insistent, Sir, she told me to inform you it's regarding a certain cup," he relayed.

Torek sat up and grinned. "I see…" the young man got up and said, "Ladies, order anything you like, and enjoy your stay. I will unfortunately need to take my leave."

Many of the girls whined and voiced their objections, pleading for him to stay with them.

"Now, now, it's family business, and I can't say no to family," said Torek.

The young Iselam man followed his butler all the way back to the hotel. He was then led into a private room, there a hardline phone was left off the hook on a corner table. Torek, picked up the phone and said, "You know, Mother, there's this terrific invention called 'cellphones', much easier to get ahold of me."

_{If I did, would it have torn you away from whatever little harem you had surrounding you?}_

Torek thought about that for a moment. "Touché."

_{In any case, the Holy Grail has been located, I'll send you coordinates. Did you happen to get the catalyst I sent you?}_

Torek's butler brought over a box and opened it. Inside was half of a pale white mask, with something red, dried, and smeared on some parts of it. "Indeed."

_{Just remember, this is our golden opportunity.}_

"Yes, true eternal beauty is within our grasp!"

* * *

**Team Loud**

Night had fallen on the Loud House, and Lincoln was wide awake. He lied there in his bed, dressed in black clothing to better help in their stealthy exit, for tonight, they would summon their Servant. Lincoln glanced at his cellphone which now read, "10:30 pm". He hadn't heard a peep from any of his sisters, which hopefully meant that they were all fast asleep. Lincoln got up and reached below his bed, pulling out a backpack with various supplies for which to enact their summon.

Lucy had given Lincoln the supplies ahead of time, since her room was located in the attic now, she couldn't go down the stairs without making noise. However, she was still light and small enough to fit through the vents of their house. Lincoln was still able to move around in them when he was eleven, so it shouldn't prove too difficult for Lucy now that she was two years older.

Like clockwork, Lucy opened the grate to Lincoln's room. The white haired boy raised his arms and helped his sister climb down, both paused for a moment to make sure that their movements hadn't caused anyone to awaken.

When there was no reaction, both sighed heavily. Silent as church mice, the brother and sister made their way out of the house, Lincoln had set up his bike next to the house for easy access. He hadn't ridden the bike since Lynn died, Lana had given it back to him after her death, hoping that it would help her brother to have something that was once hers. At the time, it didn't help much, but now, he was grateful that Lana gave it back to him.

Lincoln mounted the bike and waited for Lucy to situate herself behind him. She locked her arms around his waist and nodded for him to go. Lincoln nodded and began peddling, heading towards their destination.

The night was warm, but not unpleasant, the full moon gave them enough light to see where they were going. Lincoln made sure to take the backroads, they didn't want to be stopped by a cop wondering what they were doing out so late. They passed by some buildings, but for the most part no one seemed to give them a second glance. Lincoln stopped a couple of times, feeling as if they were being followed, but when he turned to look, he only spotted a parked car.

Soon, the duo made it to their destination, the park. There was enough of a woodland area that it would hide them from view, and right next to that was the lake.

"C'mon, I'll guide you," said Lucy.

Lincoln followed Lucy as they walked into the woods. They continued for a about three minutes before Lincoln felt a tingle pass through his body, making him stop for a second.

"What was that?" he asked.

"That was the Bounded Field, we just passed through it. It's not my best work, but it'll keep out everyone else, and no one will be able to see what we're doing."

Lincoln and Lucy continued further in, stopping by the shore of the lake. Lincoln opened his backpack and took out the items that they needed, as well as a flashlight.

"Place the stone on the ground," Lucy instructed.

Lincoln nodded, taking out the piece of the Round Table and putting it on the grass. Lucy took out some chalk dust and began to draw the magic summoning circle, she was very meticulous, she didn't want to get anything wrong in making this circle, the detail needed to be perfect, if one sigil was wrong, if one stroke was not straight, it could warp the entire summoning.

Lincoln wished he could help her with this part, but she was the more experienced one when it came to these kinds of things.

After about five minutes, Lucy was done with her work, she wiped the sweat from her brow and surveyed her work, after looking it over three times, Lucy was satisfied that the summoning circle was perfect.

"Is it ready?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes…do you remember the plan?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I'll start the summoning, and take on the Command Seals. We'll share mana with whatever Servant that we summon, that way it frees us up to cast spells without completely draining us," said Lincoln.

Lucy nodded, she then looked down at the ground. "Lincoln, there's still time. You don't have to do this."

"What? But you're the one who suggested we do this!"

"I know…I'm not saying that we shouldn't. What I'm saying is, maybe _I _should be the Master instead, and just fight alone. Losing Lynn was one thing…but losing you too…I don't think I could take that…I don't think anyone in the house could!"

Lincoln smiled and placed his hands on Lucy's shoulders. "And you think I can take it if I lost you? Or losing any one of our sisters, or parents? One way or another, Luce, I'm doing this. I won't just stand by and watch you do this alone, I…I'm pretty sure I'll go to someplace bad if that happened and I knew I could've prevented it."

Lucy frowned. "Lincoln, it wasn't your fault! It was an accident!"

"An accident that never needed to happen. It should've been me on that day, but it wasn't. I made my choice, Luce, I'm in this to the end. Lynn will come home, no matter what it takes," said Lincoln with complete resolution.

Lucy looked up into the eyes of her big brother. There was a fire burning in those eyes, a fire that was kindling for six months and now it was ready to be set ablaze and burn down anything that got in his way. Lucy gently pushed her brother's arms off of her, and gave him a hug.

"Okay, I'm with you all the way," said Lucy. "Lynn will come home."

* * *

**Team Santiago **

Ronnie Anne waited at the entrance to the laundry room. She had told Sid to meet her here at around ten-thirty. She still wasn't sure about this, part of Ronnie Anne berated her for bringing this up, but at the same time, she didn't want to keep a secret like this from Sid.

If Ronnie Anne died out there, Sid would never know, her grandmother still had apprehensions about the whole thing, but knew Ronnie Anne would not back down from this. If Ronnie Anne, somehow, died during this Grail War, then Sid deserved to know the truth. No relationship built on lies ever lasted long, Ronnie Anne never kept secrets from her, and she wouldn't start now.

Ronnie Anne was about to give up and head down to the subbasement, but then Sid came bounding down the stairs, stopping at the doorway as she caught her breath. Her hair and clothes were a mess, there were some claw marks on Sid, and there as a faint smell of garbage coming from the half-Chinese girl.

"Oh man…sorry! It was taking forever for my parents to go to sleep, so I had to go out the fire escape, shimmy down that, and then I landed in a pile of garbage, walked around to the front, almost got mauled by that gang of cats, and…and…whew, sorry I'm late."

Ronnie Anne chuckled and shook her head. Leave it to Sid to get into something crazy like that. The teen Latina walked up to Sid and was about to come in for a kiss, but Sid backed away.

"No, don't kiss me now! I smell like garbage!"

Ronnie Anne smirked at Sid, she then swiftly planted a kiss on the freckled girl's cheek. "Yeah, you do, and? How many times have we both fallen into garbage piles? Remember Halloween two years ago?"

Sid cringed. "Don't remind me. Soooo…what was it that you wanted to show me?"

"Follow me."

Ronnie Anne led Sid into the secret room of the laundry room, where many of the tenants would come in have some time to use it for whatever activity they wanted. Once inside, Ronnie Anne pulled back the rug and placed her hand on the same spot she had seen her grandma. She spoke some words in Spanish that Sid didn't know, but afterwards, the concrete began to glow, and etched lines into the floor as a set of stairs formed.

Sid stood there with her mouth hanging open, her eyes not believing what they were seeing. She barely registered when Ronnie Anne took her hand and brought her down into the tunnel, which led to a wooden door. Sid watched as Ronnie Anne opened the door and saw a large arcane circle drawn in the center the room, with a stone placed at its center.

"Abuela," Ronnie Anne called out.

"Aye, Mija, I've got everything – dios mio!" Rosa exclaimed as she saw Ronnie Anne _and _Sid. "Ronnie Anne, why did you–?!"

"Abuela…"

Rosa took a moment to look upon her grandchild and Sid. She saw a faint blush Ronnie Anne's face, she also spotted how tightly Ronnie Anne was holding Sid's hand. It didn't take long before Rosa understood why she brought Sid down here. "I see, I understand, Mija."

"Thanks, Abuela," said Ronnie Anne.

"Oooookay, uh, w-what is all this?! H-How did you make those stairs appear?! And how long has this been here?!" Sid asked.

Ronnie Anne took in a deep breath and began her explanation. She told Sid everything, about learning how part of her family is descendent from spell casters, and that her grandmother had been practicing magic since she was little, and that for the last six months her grandmother had been teaching her the ways of magic. Ronnie Anne then went into the harder part of this explanation, the reason behind the training.

"Sid…there's something called the Holy Grail, it can grant someone any one wish they want, whatever it is, and it only appears every so many years, and this time, it's appearing in Royal Woods."

"You're old hometown?!'

Ronnie Anne nodded.

Sid scratched her head in confusion. "Okay, so, you're going on a scavenger hunt for a wish granting cup?"

"Not exactly…It's a Holy Grail _War_."

Sid flinched when she heard the emphasis put on the "war".

"Seven mages fight for the right to make their wish. They summon Heroic Spirits, people from myths, legends, even history, and together, these seven mages along with their Heroic Spirits, fight in a battle royal to claim it, the last one standing wins," Ronnie Anne explained.

"Oh…so it's like a fighting game? You set these spirits to fight and you win if you beat them, right?" Sid asked.

Ronnie Anne stuffed her hands into her pockets. "It's not as easy as that…it's a death match, Sid. Defeating a spirit is only one way you can win, killing the master of that spirit is accepted too."

As expected, Sid's eyes widened with shock. A death match, and Ronnie Anne was going to compete in it. "N-no, NO! Ronnie Anne, you can't do that! You could seriously die! If what you're saying is true, this is way more dangerous than you doing some skateboarding stunt! These guys could actually _kill _you!"

"I know that, Sid, but I'm still going to fight anyway," said Ronnie Anne.

"Why?! What wish could you want that's so important that it's worth your life!" Sid pleaded.

"Lincoln." Ronnie Anne looked Sid in the eyes. "I'm going to fight to wish Lynn Loud Jr. back to life. Lori and Bobby are together, they'll get married at some point, and that makes Lincoln family, Sid, mi familia! He's been hurting since she died, I can't stand to see someone as good as him be in that kind of pain! Not just him, I can see it in Lori sometimes, she's hurting, her whole family is hurting!"

Ronnie Anne stood more confidently. "I know it's crazy, insane, but that's what I'm fighting for, Sid! I just…I just wanted you to know what I was doing in case…in case the worst case scenario happens. I don't want you to think that I up and left you or something."

Sid stood there silently as she looked directly at Ronnie Anne. The young Latina felt her heart beating at a million miles an hour, this was definitely something that could break them up. Maybe she'd understand if this wish she was fighting for was for something that would benefit Ronnie Anne or her family, but that wasn't the case, she was going to fight and risk possible death for the sake of her old friend and their family.

"Please…say something, Sid?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"Honestly…I should be furious with you. I mean, I can understand it if it was for something _you _wanted! But, you're going to fight for Lincoln, and his family, to bring someone back who was dear to them!" Sid approached Ronnie Anne, with the latter awaiting a slap or a punch. But, to Ronnie Anne's surprise, she got a hug. "And that's the absolute noblest thing I've ever heard. I don't like that you're going to risk your life, or that you might die. But…I'd feel like the biggest jerk in the world if I stopped you."

Ronnie Anne's eyes watered as she hugged her girlfriend back. "Thank you for understanding."

Rosa smiled at the scene before her, she always had a feeling about those two, and now, it seems, she was right.

Sid separated herself from Ronnie Anne and looked at the circle. "So, is that to summon the spirit?"

"Yes, and tonight is the night. You're going to be summoning a powerful Servant, Ronnie Anne, you must be strong and resolute in this," said Rosa.

Ronnie Anne wiped her eyes and put on a serious expression. "Believe me, Abuela, I am!"

* * *

**Team Eltham **

_This was almost way too easy_, thought Rosso.

The last descendent of the Eltham line had used her Etherlite to hack both of the two brutish boys, having them collect a few more things before tonight's summoning. She almost felt bad that she didn't at least let them have a little fun, seeing as the both of them were going to die tonight, it was the least she could do. Not like she cared about this body. When you had the ability to hop from one body to the next, you tended to worry little about things like HIV, STDs, or AIDs, so you could pretty much screw whoever you wanted. Oh well.

Hawk and Hank were currently standing still, she could tell that they were still struggling to regain control, but it wasn't happening. Rosso had brought them all to an abandoned steel mill, it was quiet, secluded, and no one would hear what was about to happen.

"Okay, Hank, tie up Hawk there by his ankles and then let's hoist him up."

"N-No way you crazy bitch!" Hank stated.

"Hmm, funny, but it's not like you have a choice." Rosso raised up her right arm, showing a silver bracelet that gave off a dim glow.

Hawk immediately lied down on the floor as Hank grabbed some rope.

"D-Dude, stop!" Hawk pleaded.

"I can't, dude! I-I can't!" Hank stated.

After tying him up, a weight was attached to the other end of the rope. Hank tossed the weighted end up into the rafters were it then descended back down and thudded against the floor. Afterwards, Hank and Rosso hoisted Hawk up the until he was high enough.

"Hold this," said Rosso as she handed Hank a bucket.

Hank looked at the bucket with confusion. Rosso instructed him to keep it steady under Hawk's head. The Eltham descendent then looked at Hawk and asked, "Before I do what I am about to do, would you like to see me naked? It'll probably be a better sight."

"FUCK YOU!" Hawk shouted.

"Well, I tried to be nice." Rosso took out a knife and gave it a quick slash across his throat. Hank began to gurgle and thrash about, but Rosso grabbed him by this belt and stopped his thrashing. "You're spilling it everywhere."

"Hawk! Hawk!" Hank screamed.

It took a couple of minutes, but Hawk was completely bled out. Rosso placed the feather on the concrete floor, she then took a paint brush and began drawing the circle. After about five minutes she was starting to run out of blood. So she ordered Hank to slit his wrists and hold them over the bucket. With a new supply, Rosso went to work again.

"W-Why…Why are you doing this…?" Hank asked despirately.

"Mostly, for revenge. It's nothing personnel towards you or your friend, but, honestly, you two don't look like the kind of boys who would grow up to be upstanding citizens anyway."

"You're killing us…because we're bullies…?"

"I've lived a lot of different lives, seen boys just like you. You're a dime a dozen, either you grow up to be a menace to those around you, or you eventually figure out that there are much bigger bullies than them. Of course, there are the rare occasions when some of you actually do turn over a new leaf and become productive people," Rosso glanced back at Hank who was slumped against a support beam and was no longer breathing. "And I'm talking to a corpse now."

Rosso finished up the circle. "Whatever then, it's time."

* * *

**Team Dioland**

Abagail wasn't someone you told that she couldn't do something. If she wanted to do something, she was going to do it. Case in point, her father said her cousin was going to fight in the Holy Grail War on behalf of the Dioland family.

But she wasn't about to let that happen. If she managed to summon a Servant, then they would have no choice but to have her go and fight. The only person who was with her was the family butler, and he wasn't liking this this situation.

"Mistress, I don't think that this is wise," said the butler. "I am versed in the summoning rituals, and…to perform one without a catalyst…"

"It'll be fine," said Abagail with a strong conviction.

Her father was out of the house, which meant that the workshop in the basement would be free. After an hour of preparing everything, the magic circle was complete. She didn't need a catalyst, she was a strong mage, surely the Grail would grant her a suitable, powerful Servant.

"I'll show them that I am the true Master, the one to win the Grail, and rise above all the other mage families!"

Abagail thrust out her right hand, as she did, she summoned her magic and made the circle ignite with magical power. A whirlwind kicked up in the basement, making the butler brace against its force.

"Heed my words, my will creates your body!"

* * *

Lincoln stood before the circle, the wind began to blow slightly, as if the world itself was setting the stage for what was to come. There was no turning back, the time was now, the hour was here. It was time. Lincoln called the magic inside of him, his body began to glow with magical energy, lines formed on his body, glowing orange as he focused his magic onto the circle.

The magic circle began to glow as well, turning into a bright blue that burned itself into the grass and dirt upon which it was made. Wind spiraled around them, rustling the leaves and caused waves to form on the lake's surface. Lucy walked over to Lincoln, she placed her left hand on his right shoulder, and wrapped her right hand around his wrist.

"And your sword creates my destiny!"

* * *

Rosso's magic circle glowed crimson red as the wind swirled around her. Her right was thrust forth before the circle as the ritual was underway.

"If you heed the grail's call! And obey my will and reason!"

* * *

Torek was in his private room as the summoning circle shined brightly before him. His mouth formed a smirk as he felt the magic flow.

"Then answer my summoning!"

* * *

Lincoln could feel the energy coming off the circle, like there was something coming, a power was resonating with him, and it was massive, but he had to keep going.

"I swear that I will be all the good in the world!"

* * *

Sid raised her arm against the buffeting wind, Rosa did the same as Ronnie had began the summoning ritual. A great power slumbered in the stone, something ancient and powerful, and it was pushing back, like it was testing Ronnie Anne.

But she wasn't about to back down from a challenge

"That I shall defeat, all evil in the world!"

* * *

"Then let thine eyes be clouded, with the fog of turmoil and chaos! Thou, who art trapped in a cage of madness, And I, the summoner, who holds thy chains!"

* * *

"Seventh heaven clad!"

* * *

"And the great words of power!"

* * *

"Come forth from the circle of binding!"

* * *

"GUARDIAN OF SCALES!"

A bright beam of light shot out from the circle before Lincoln and Lucy, both shut their eyes but stood their ground as the power was released from the circle bathed the area. The waters of the lake seemed to sparkle with a greater radiance from this power, as if resonating with the summon.

When the light faded, Lincoln and Lucy opened their eyes and beheld their summoned Servant. He wore heavy looking purple armor, with short hair that was slightly wavy and spikey, with a similar color to his armor, and similarly colored eyes.

The man who stood before them held something in his right hand, it was shaped like a sword, but its true form was distorted by a layer of energy. The lake still had a bright radiance, along with the moonlight shimmering down upon them.

"I am the Knight of the Lake, the Saber for whom was summoned by the Holy Grail to be your Servant. I bid you humble greetings, my Master."

* * *

Sid had fallen on her rear as she looked upon the person summoned from the circle. Ronnie Anne stared in confusion, while Rosa was on her knees in reverence.

The person who stood in the circle was a tall woman. She had long blonde hair, and piercing green eyes. She wore Aztec garb which had orange, gold, and green colors, with a blue sash. The woman looked around the room, but her eyes fell right upon Ronnie Anne.

"¡Soy la diosa del viento y la lluvia! Del sol y la estrella de la mañana! Mi clase es Jinete! Dime, pequeña, ¿eres digna de ser mi Maestra?"

The Servant cocked her head in confusion when she still saw Ronnie Anne's confused expression. "Oh, sorry, I just spoke in my native tongue. You reminded me of my Aztec worshippers so I assumed we spoke the same language. Let me repeat myself." The Servant cleared her throat. "I am

the goddess of the wind and rain! Of the sun and the Morning Star! My class is Rider! So tell me, little girl, are you worthy of being my Master?"

**A/N: Hope you guys like the cast of characters so far, i really had to do a lot of research before coming up with this, from the mage families to the Servants, it was hard, but fun. Just in case you're wondering, the last two Masters were a part of that summoning chant, leaving them a mystery, for now. **

**And because no good anime is complete without an opening and ending theme, the Fate/Zero Op "_Oath Sign" _and for the ending, "_Memoria_". I really like those. **


	3. The Day Before the War

It was late at night when Luna and Sam drove back to the Loud House. All throughout the day, Luna couldn't stop thinking about what she overhead Lincoln and Lucy talking about, they were planning something and that it would take place tonight. Many thoughts ran through the musician's head, ranging from something harmless to something bad. Luna began to wonder if Lucy had come up with some occult ritual, both of them had taken Lynn's death hard, Lincoln especially. What if they were going to do something at Lynn's grave? Or do some kind of ritual that contracted them with a demon or something? Or…what if they were going to do some kind of suicide pact?

Sam could tell that something was on Luna's mind, she had been with her girlfriend long enough to tell such things, and mostly because Luna often wore her emotions on her sleeves.

"Hey, babe, what's wrong?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean?" Luna replied.

"I mean, you look like you've had something on your mind all day, and I'm worried. You know you can tell me anything right? Whatever it is, I wanna help," said Sam.

Luna smiled from her spot in the passenger's seat of Sam's car, sometimes she loved being reminded of how thoughtful her girlfriend was. "It's Lincoln and Lucy, I overheard them talkin' about something they're going to do tonight. I wanna think it's something harmless, but…"

"You're afraid that it might be something serious?"

Luna rubbed the back of her head. "I don't want to assume, but you know how my little sis can be a witchy woman, I'm just afraid that they're going to do something…I don't know what, I'm just being paranoid I guess."

Sam placed a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Luna, I get it, you lost one sibling, and you don't want to lose another. You don't have to be ashamed of feeling worried about your family."

"Thanks," said Luna.

The stars were out tonight, as the full moon bathed everything in its soft glow. By now, the house should be asleep, Luna had texted her parents that they'd be home late. As the house came into view, Luna paused. She briefly made out that there were two figures coming out of her house.

"Sam, kill the lights!" Luna ordered.

"What?"

"Hurry!"

Sam turned off her headlights and parked against the curb. Both teen girls watched as two figures hopped on a bike and rode away from the house. Luna immediately recognized who it was, she'd know that head of white hair anywhere.

"It's them," said Luna.

"What are they doing?"

"…Follow 'em."

Sam looked at Luna with concern. "Lunes, maybe we should get your parents in on this, if it is something serious we'll need their help."

"And if it turns out to be something else, I don't want to bring down that kind of heat on them. Plus, Lori left me in charge of keeping the sibs in line. If there's anyone who's going to give them a beat down or anything, it's gonna be me!"

Sam sighed heavily. "Alright, but if this gets to be too much, I'm calling your folks. Deal?"

"Deal, now get goin' and no lights!" Luna stated.

Luna and Sam followed Lincoln and Lucy, keeping their lights off the entire time. One of the advantages of living in a relatively small town, was that most people were already asleep, so the streets were mostly empty. Thankfully, they managed to avoid getting caught by any cops and eventually ended up following Lincoln and Lucy to the park. On the one hand, Luna was glad they didn't head to the graveyard where Lynn was buried. On the other…

"What the hell are they doing in there?" Luna asked.

"Whatever it is, they've been in there for at least ten minutes now…maybe we should make the call?" Sam suggested.

Luna narrowed her gaze as she looked towards the woods. "Stay here, I'll go and scope it out."

Sam slapped her forehead. "Luna, how many horror movies have we seen this same strategy not work out?! Either you go in there and get killed, and then I'm next! Or the reverse happens! Let's please not end up in that cliché!"

"It's okay, Sam, it's my little bro and sis, they'd never hurt me," said Luna as she kissed Sam's cheek. "I'll be back."

Luna could hear Sam grumble something as she exited the car. The musician ran into the woods, heading down the same path she saw her brother and sister go. After a minute of wandering around, she still couldn't find them. She figured that, whatever it was they were planning on doing may be off the beaten path. The rocker headed deeper into the woods, for some reason, she felt something, a tingling feeling that was pushing against her skin. Luna didn't know what this feeling was, but she pressed on anyway.

Another minute passed and Luna felt as if she had pushed through the tingling feeling and was now on the other side of…something. She looked over her shoulder and saw that there was nothing strange, but in front of her was a different story. A bright light emitted from up ahead, Luna couldn't explain it, but it resonated with her, and somehow, she knew that her siblings were at the epicenter of that light.

Luna ran towards the light, and the closer she got, the stronger the wind pushed back, it was if a mini tornado was being generated, but even so, Luna pressed on, she wasn't about to let Lincoln and Lucy do something dangerous. Finally, Luna managed to get close to them. She was behind a tree about ten or so feet away, despite the howling wind, Luna could clearly hear her brother's voice loud and clear.

"I swear that I shall be, all the good in the world! That I shall defeat, all evil in the world!"

"W-What the?"

"Seventh heaven clad, and the great words of power! Appear from the circle of bindings! Guardian of Scales!"

A bright beam of light shot out, along with a strong gust of wind that knocked Luna on her rear as she gazed upon the happenings with shock. When the light faded, Luna beheld something even stranger than what she was already looking at. A man in purple knightly armor stood before her brother and sister, in his right hand was some sort of sword-like object, but it was hard to tell exactly what it was.

"I am the Knight of the Lake, the Saber for whom was summoned by the Holy Grail to be your Servant. I bid you humble greetings, my Master."

"Oh…wow…uh…w-what's your name?" Lucy asked.

"My name, is Lancelot."

Lincoln and Lucy stared in awe upon Lancelot, but it was Lucy who seemed more awestruck. Not only had they truly summoned a knight of the Round Table, but he was summoned as a Saber, one the strongest of the three Knight Classes.

"Wow…y-you're really are _the Sir _Lancelot?!" Lincoln asked.

Lancelot rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward smile. "Well…yes, but please, don't feel as if you have to honor me or anything. I am but a knight, and a knight's duty is to fight at their King's side." Lancelot got down one knee and bowed his head, making both Lincoln and Lucy gasp. "And as your knight, I swear to be your sword and cut down all who would stand in your path, my Master."

Lincoln looked flabbergasted, both of them were. If anything, it should be them who should be bowing to a revered, legendary knight. Lincoln looked at his right hand, and there they were, the Command Seals. It appeared as an artistically drawn sword done in three parts, one for each seal.

"It's okay, Lancelot, I'm not that big on bowing or whatever, you can just stand up." Lancelot did as Lincoln asked. "My name's Lincoln Loud, and this is my little sister, Lucy."

Lancelot gently reached out and took the young girl's hand, placing he a kiss upon it he said, "Lady Lucy, a pleasure to meet you."

Lucy couldn't help but blush, which for some reason annoyed Lincoln a little, but he knew Lancelot was a knight of chivalry, he was just being polite.

"Forgive me for asking, but the mana I'm receiving, I sense that it is coming from both of you, am I correct?"

"Yes, Sir – er – I mean – Lancelot, we have set up the summoning so that both Lincoln and myself will supply you with mana," Lucy explained.

"Very creative. On that, I must ask before I act, is the person behind that tree with you or are they an intruder?"

Luna tensed up upon hearing that, how did that guy in the knight armor know she was there? Lincoln and Lucy turned around to the tree that Lancelot had spoke of. Luna didn't exactly know how to handle this situation, so she did the only thing she could do, she bolted like a jackrabbit.

"W-What?! But, Luce, you said that no one could get in!"

"I also said it wasn't my best work, it can keep normal people out, but mages are a different story!"

Lincoln glanced to Lancelot and said, "Lancelot, sorry to ask you this right after your summoning, but I need you to capture that person!"

Lancelot's expression grew serious. "Understood, my Master!"

The Knight of the Lake got into a runner's stance and dashed away, as fast as the wind and kicked up a dust cloud upon doing so. Luna ran like a madwoman, she needed to get to Sam's car and they both needed to get back to her house. However, that plan was not about to happen, in less than a few seconds, Lancelot had caught up with her. Luna tried to run faster, but it was no use.

Lancelot jumped up into the air, spun once and dropped down right in Luna's path. The teen rocker skidded to a halt and fell onto her rear, at the same time, Lancelot summoned his phantom sword and pointed it straight at Luna's face.

"Young Miss, please come quietly, I really do not wish to stain my sword with the blood of a young maiden," said Lancelot.

"Screw you demon or whatever it is you are! I-I-I'm not afraid of you!" Luna declared.

Lancelot could tell that was a bluff, the poor girl was shaking like a leaf and looked like she was on the verge of wetting herself. The Knight of the Lake sighed as he dismissed his sword.

"I am not here to kill you, my Master has given me orders to capture you."

"You're not going to fool me! I know how this works! You're going to take me back so I can be a human sacrifice!" Luna accused.

"I-I am not some demonic creature!" Lancelot stated. "I am a Heroic Spirit."

Lancelot, in one swift motion, scooped up Luna and had her hanging over his right shoulder. After realizing her current position, Luna began struggling and shouting, "Ya damn bloody git! Let me go!"

"Oh, you are from my homeland, interesting. Do not worry, my Master seems like a reasonable and kind soul, I am sure he will not harm you."

Lancelot, using the same incredible speed, dashed back to where Lincoln and Lucy were.

* * *

"Oh this is bad, this is _really _bad!" Lincoln muttered as he paced about.

"Calm down, Lincoln, we don't know how bad it is yet," said Lucy.

"What if it's another mage?!"

"If it is…" Lucy grimaced. "If it is one of the seven…Lincoln, we may have to…"

Lincoln gulped, yes, he knew that the way to win was either to take out the Servant or kill the Master. He knew this, it was a death battle to the very end, only one person could obtain the Holy Grail, but still, at the very least, Lincoln had hoped to avoid killing other people and just take out the Servants.

"This is all my fault…I should've taken time to make sure the Bounded Field was stronger, maybe then…"

Lincoln looked to his little sister, he stopped his pacing and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, don't worry. We'll know more once Lancelot comes back."

As if on cue, the Knight of the Lake appeared before them, his captured prey was still struggling and releasing one expletive after the other, both ones the two young mages understood and others that they weren't sure about.

"She is quite the spirited – if not foul mouthed – young woman, but, I managed to capture her," said Lancelot.

"Wait a minute…I recognize that voice," said Lincoln.

"And that British accent," added Lucy.

"LUNA?!" they both exclaimed.

Luna ceased her thrashing. Lancelot took that a sign to let her down, sitting her on her feet and facing both his Master and his other sibling. Luna glanced between them and chuckled nervously. "H-Hey dudes…"

"L-Luna?! W-What the hell are you doing out here?!" Lincoln asked.

Luna's fear was briefly forgotten as she went into "Big Sister Mode". "Oh-ho-ho, 'What am I doing here?', you got a lot of nerve asking me that question little bro! If anything, _I'm _the one who should be asking that question! Why are you out here! Who or what is this guy! And Lucy, what kind of black magic woman crap have you gotten Lincoln and yourself mixed up in?!"

Lancelot looked briefly between Luna, his Master, and then Lucy. "Pardon me, Master, Lady Lucy, but do you know who this young woman is?"

Lincoln rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, Lancelot, this is my other sister, Luna."

Lancelot looked ashamed. "My apologies, Lady Luna!" the Knight of the Lake bowed on knee, surprising the rocker. "Forgive me for handling you is such a rough manner, had I'd known you were Master's family, I would've been more gentle."

Luna blushed a little at the reaction. "I-It's okay, dude, I guess." She then turned her attention back to her little brother. "Now, _start. Talking._"

* * *

**Team Santiago**

"I got you, chica!"

"Say's you!"

It was Sunday morning, and the Casagrande household had gotten a new member over night. Sid had gone back to her room, and then came back the following morning, now finding her girlfriend and the Heroic Spirit Ronnie Anne summoned last night, currently rolling around on the floor in a Lucha Libre wrestling match.

Ronnie Anne had broken out her La Tormenta mask and the two of them had engaged in a sparring match. Despite the blonde haired woman stating she was an Aztec god, she seemed to love the sport of Lucha, she may even rival Ronnie Anne's love of it.

Thankfully, Rosa was able to round up some normal looking clothes for the goddess. Never in million years did she think that her granddaughter could pull off summoning such a powerful Servant, this wasn't a Heroic Spirit, the woman was a Divine Spirit, the goddess Quetzalcoatl, or Quetz for short.

Quetz managed to get Ronnie Anne into a headlock, Ronnie Anne struggled against Quetz's superior strength. It was easy to see that the Divine Spirit was handicapping herself by not using her full strength, she seemed to be getting more joy out of the actual match then winning itself. Still, that didn't mean she had to make it an easy win.

After a few seconds Ronnie Anne tapped against Quetz's forearm. Quetz released Ronnie Anne and stood up triumphantly. "That makes ten wins and zero loses, you're persistent if nothing else, Ma – ahem – Ronnie Anne."

Ronnie Anne smirked as she spun on the floor and swept Quetz's legs from under her. The goddess suddenly found herself on the floor, and not soon after, Ronnie Anne locked herself around Quetz's right arm, bending it back as she finally got the upper hand on her Servant.

"Never said I was done just yet!" Ronnie Anne stated.

Quetz's smiled broadly at Ronnie Anne's tactics. "Very good! However!" The Aztec goddess quickly stood up, bringing Ronnie Anne with her. "Niña, would you kindly move off the couch?!"

Sid quickly bolted from her spot on the couch, just in time to watch as Quetz body slammed her girlfriend onto it with ease, she then slipped her arm out of the hold and let Ronnie Anne lie there in exhaustion.

"Points for spur of the moment thinking, but, you need to work on the locks a little more. With a little more practice, you'll get there," said Quetz.

"Thanks…heh…that was fun," said Ronnie Anne as she panted.

"Aye, Mija, that's enough horsing around, come and eat!" Rosa stated.

Quetz took a whiff of the air and smiled. "Hmm, smells delicioso, Señorita Rosa!"

"You are too kind, Quetzalcoatl, I'm sure you are more used to grander things than this," said Rosa.

Ronnie Anne and Quetz sat at the table and began to dig into the large meal that Rosa had made for them. Sid sat too, gathering what she could before the two dug in. They way they tore into their meals you think that they were a pair of starving wolves, Sid was worried she'd lose a finger to either one of them, especially Quetz, as every once in a while her teeth would shift from normal looking human teeth to razor sharp shark teeth.

"Hmm, nonsense, you're cooking is on par with my worshippers of old, if not better!" Quetz praised.

Sid looked at Quetz quizzically and asked, "So…if you use Ronnie Anne's 'mana' to stay in a physical form, do you even really need to eat?"

"Technically no, we spirits can obtain mana a number of ways. One is that Ronnie Anne supplies me with mana, the other is through the consumption of food, but it's only a small amount that gets replenished from this method. The last – and most vile method – is the consumption of a human heart."

Sid stopped mid bite when Quetz said that. "Y-You mean, you can do that?!"

Quetz finished off a chorizo and egg taco before answering. "Yes, but a majority of Servants refrain from doing so, seeing as it is a fast way of corrupting yourself. However, I can only say this for myself, and cannot speak for other Servants and whatever side of the moral spectrum they fall on."

Ronnie Anne raised an eyebrow at that. "Wait, you're an Aztec god, didn't they use to cut out people's hearts and offer them to you back in your time?"

Quetz sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, yes they did. I never asked them to, and yes, I never stopped them either, but don't misunderstand me, I actually do love humans, well, _love _may be a bit of an overstatement. What I love is what you all have the potential to become."

"And…do I have potential?" Ronnie Anne asked.

Quetz's emerald eyes fell on her young Master and smiled. "We shall see, won't we?"

"Ronnie Anne I…" The other's glanced towards the hallway and saw Maria, Ronnie Anne's mother, walking into the living room. "Um…hello, who are you?"

Ronnie Anne and Rosa's eyes darted between Maria and Quetz as both tried to figure out something to say.

"Um, this is one my teachers from the-the Community Center! Ms. Quetz! She's…uh…from Azteca Culture Club!"

Maria looked at her skeptically. "I didn't know you had signed up for that."

"You didn't!" Rosa interjected. "Because I did, I signed her up! I thought it would be enriching for Ronalda to learn of her ancestor's culture!"

"¡Sí!" Quetz added. "I also teach a little Lucha Libre on the side at the 'Center', I was just showing Ronnie Anne some techniques earlier, sorry for the noise if we woke you."

Maria still had some doubts, but for some reason, she was finding this Quetz woman more believable by the second. "Well, so long as you're careful. I maybe a nurse, but the last thing I want to do is have to put a cast on my own daughter."

"Well do," said Quetz.

Ronnie still felt giddy about the fact that her mother had made the decision to become a doctor, ever since they first moved to Great Lakes City, Maria Santiago had been working day and night, not just at her nursing job, but also studying, taking on mentorships under some the hospital's doctors to learn as much as she could. Turns out she was more suited for the work than she first thought, and in just two short years she was already well on her way to getting her doctorate.

Maria walked over to her daughter and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be heading out, have a good day with Sid, Ronnie Anne."

"We well," Sid answered.

When Maria left, the others sighed heavily in relief.

"I see not everyone is aware of your decision, Ronnie Anne," said Quetz.

"Not exactly…the only ones who do know are Sid and Abuela. I don't want to freak them out…"

Quetz was starting to get a clearer picture regarding the kind of Master she was summoned by, and she was liking the young girl more and more. "I see."

"By the way, how are you going to get to Royal Woods? Were you going to have Bobby drive you or were you going to that, Mrs. Casagrande? And on top of all that, where were you going to stay?" Sid asked.

Ronnie Anne downed few bites of food before she answered. "As far as where I'm staying, I'm hoping that I can convince Lincoln so that he can convince his folks to let me stay there for a little bit. I'll make up something on the fly. Once I explain why I'm there, I know he'll help out. Now for how I'm getting there…that's a tough one."

Quetz smiled and pounded her chest proudly. "Not to worry, Dominar, you can leave all transportation to yours truly."

"Really?"

"I am a Rider after all."

* * *

**Team Loud**

Luna was not happy this morning. She had spent most of the night having her little brother and sister explain their actions last night, and what she learned…she wasn't sure she liked. Talk of a Holy Grail War, that their family was descended from mages and that their great grandmother was a mage. Luna had thought that all that Harriet talk Lucy would say was just her being creepy, now she was wondering just how much of it was that.

Magic was real, wizards were real, and apparently a death battle was going to go down in their hometown, what she definitely didn't like about all this was the fact that her siblings were going to participate in this fight, with a spirit that called himself Lancelot, who said he was one of the actual Knights of the Round Table.

Luna hadn't said anything to Sam, just merely explaining it away as the two just getting up to some ghost hunting stuff. Strangely enough, Lancelot disappeared when they went to Sam's car. But when they got back to the house, and the three met up in Lucy's room, Lancelot suddenly reappeared like a ghost.

Today, Luna was going to talk at length with Lincoln, the white haired boy had promised to speak with her about something that he didn't want to discuss with Lancelot around. Luna woke up early today, throwing off her blankets as she practically jumped down from the top bunk.

Luan woke up and groaned as she saw her sister in the buff. "Ugh, Luna, you said you'd warn me when you were naked."

"Sorry, Sis, got somethin' important I need to talk to Linc about," said Luna.

That got Luan to sober up from her sleep idled mind. "What about Lincoln? Is he alright?"

_Shit_, thought Luna.

"No, no, he's alright, I was just going to see if he wanted to hangout or whatever. I was thinking of giving him the older sib talk that Lori gave me before she left," Luna clarified.

"You sure? I thought we were going to do that together?" Luan asked.

"Like said, I might, but most likely I'll do that with you. I just want to hangout with the little dude."

Luan wasn't sure if she bought that, but Luna and Lincoln were talking more lately, so she didn't have much of a reason to think that there was something else. "Okay, have fun I guess."

"Thanks."

Luna hurriedly dressed herself and walked out the door. She made her way to her brother's room and before she could knock on the door Lincoln opened it. From what she could see, he had slept in the clothes he was wearing last night, that was fine, she needed to talk with him right away anyway.

"Morning…" Lincoln greeted groggily.

"Morning, come on Linc, we need to talk," said Luna.

"Can you at least wait until I get some breakfast? Last night was pretty draining."

Luna was anxious to get some answers, but it did her no good if Lincoln was too sleepy and too hungry to concentrate. "Alright." The teen rocker glanced around and asked, "Where's Lancelot?"

"He's here, in spirit form. Which reminds me, Lancelot, keep watch over the house, I'm going to go and have a talk with Luna," said Lincoln.

_Are you sure you don't want me at your side, Lincoln?_

"I'm sure."

Luna could strangely feel his presence as Lancelot left to do as Lincoln asked. The two siblings headed to the kitchen where their father had already set up a spread for everyone. Lincoln and Luna finished off their food before the rest of their siblings could join in and started to take a walk. They were silent for a good ten minutes, just trying to feel out each other.

"So, is it true, about what you're going to wish for?" Luna asked.

"It is, I'm going to wish Lynn back to life," said Lincoln.

Luna's heart hurt, she knew he missed her, but not this much. "Lincoln, just let Lynn rest in peace. Do you really think this is what she wants for you to do?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know because she died instantly!" Lincoln shot back. "Besides, bringing her back for everyone isn't the only reason."

"What other reason is there?" Luna asked.

Lincoln stopped walking as he looked up at Luna, his expression grew serious. "You know how Lynn and I were close right, how we were together a lot?"

Luna felt a chill go up her spine, the conversation the five eldest sisters of the Loud House had about Lincoln and Lynn looking cute as a couple resurfacing yet. "Oh no…no little bro, you're not about to say what I think you're about to say, right?"

"I am…Luna, Lynn and I were in love with each other."

Luna felt her legs go numb as she stumbled about for a second until she grabbed hold of a tree. Lincoln held her hand to try and steady her, but the immediate contact of her brother's hand made Luna pull away as if he was made of acid. Speaking of which, Luna turned away and began retching onto the tree.

Lincoln was hurt by the action, unfortunately, it wasn't unexpected.

Luna retched for a couple of seconds more before finally stopping and panting from the effort. The teen rocker wiped her mouth, her back turned to her little brother as she asked, "How long?"

"How long, what?"

"How long was this going on for, Lincoln, and don't bullshit me!" Luna stated.

Lincoln sighed as he put his hands in his pockets. "Two years…"

Luna's eyes widened with realization. "Since you were eleven?!" Her mind swam as she recalled all of Lincoln and Lynn's activities together, every time they were left alone, every time they went out together. "W-Why…how?!"

Lincoln shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, Luna."

"Tell me something!" Luna turned around and looked her little brother in the eyes. "Tell me why you thought it was a good idea for you and Lynn…! Just tell me!"

"It wasn't like it was planned or something. I guess it was just slowly building up. I just started to gravitate towards Lynn more, and she was the same with me. We hung out more, and the more we hung out, the more I realized I really didn't know Lynn at all."

"What?"

Lincoln smiled. "She never said this to anyone, but she said that the other thing she wanted to be more than a sports star, was a mom. Even though she didn't show it a lot, she really looked up to Mom, handling all eleven of us isn't an easy thing, and to Lynn, she saw it as something to shoot for. Not only that, but she did have her girly moments."

Lincoln mused wistfully as he recalled some of those moments. "I remember buying her a new hair tie for her cause her lucky one snapped during a game. She blushed and gave me a kiss on the cheek."

Luna remembered that event, Lynn never went a day without that tie, oddly enough she never lost a game after that either.

"It was just little things that built up, when I was twelve and she was fourteen is when we decided to address what we had. And that's also when we both decided to make this into something and to see where it went. Once we treated it like we were boyfriend and girlfriend, the more it felt right. We had to keep it a secret from you all, because the last thing I wanted was to be separated from her, and Lynn felt the same way."

Lincoln grimaced as he recalled that day. "On the day she died, we were on a date, we were messing around, and then I got knocked into the street. Lynn was quick, she was always quick, but she was only quick enough to get me out of the way of that car…it's my fault…Luna, it's my fault that she's dead!"

Luna's feelings were in turmoil right now, she could plainly see the pain on her brother's face and all she wanted to do was to give him a hug and tell the exact opposite, but at the same time, her disgust was still fresh. Her suspicions were made true, she didn't want to think that it was true, but it turned out it was. Did that mean he had feelings for their other sisters? Did he have feelings for Luna too?

"Lincoln, there's two things I need to ask you. The first being…" Luna gulped hard. "Did you and Lynn have sex with each other?"

"No, we came close a few times. But it never went farther than some groping, grinding, and kissing."

Luna felt another round come up, but managed to suppress it. "And…do you have feelings for anyone else? Do you have feelings towards any of our sisters? Me included?"

Lincoln smiled sadly, his eyes watering as he said, "No…I love you guys, but…I don't think I'll ever love anyone like I did Lynn. Not one of our sisters or any other girl. I know that Lori uses the word soulmate whenever she talks about Bobby, I never really understood what the word meant until I lost Lynn…because ever since it's felt like my damn soul was ripped out, shattered, and left me hollow inside…"

Luna now understood, after all this time, she finally understood why her little brother looked like death walking, why he was so much more depressed than anyone else in the house. For Lincoln, he didn't just lose a sister, he lost his lover, a double impact of pain to the heart. Luna felt her own heart hurting when Lincoln spoke of soulmates, she couldn't imagine Sam dying, she couldn't imagine the kind of pain she'd be in if that happened, but she didn't have to imagine, as Luna got a glimpse of that from her little brother.

"That's why…That's why I'm going to fight and win, Luna…I'm going to bring back Lynn, my sister, my lover, our family. Everyone's still hurting from her death, even you! I'll erase fate's mistake! And put things back to the way they're supposed to be!" Lincoln declared as his eyes began cry.

Luna pushed down the feelings of disgust she had, could she really blame him for going this far? Could you really blame any person for going to such lengths to bring back someone they truly loved? Luna stepped forward and placed her hand on Lincoln's shoulder, the white haired boy visibly flinched from her touch. For a moment she didn't understand why, but then she remembered her reaction when Lincoln tried to help her. Wanting to erase that fear, Luna brought her little brother into a warm embrace, holding him close as he began to cry into her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Lincoln, you were hurting way more than any of us could've imagined…I'm sorry you had to go through all of that alone…" Luna held him tighter, every word she said was true, they really had no idea how much pain Lincoln was in.

"I-It's not like I told anyone…hell, not even Clyde knows this…well, except for Lucy, but apparently she's secretly known about me and Lynn for a while now."

Luna chuckled. "Why does that not surprise me." The musician stroked Lincoln's hair comfortingly as she said, "I'm sorry for the way I overreacted when you were trying to help me…I shouldn't have done that…"

Lincoln separated from Luna and smiled at her. "It's alright, really, it's probably the right reaction given the circumstances."

Luna's expression saddened a bit. "I don't like this. I don't like that you're about to fight people who are willing to kill. Lincoln, are you ready to do something like that?"

Lincoln chuckled nervously. "Honestly…I don't know…"

"Then–!"

"But I have to…if I don't take this chance, if I don't at least try and do everything I can to bring her back, then what kind of brother am I? What kind of boyfriend am I?"

Luna didn't know how to answer that, if it was her, if it was regarding Sam, then the answer was clear. She'd do anything to bring Sam back to life. Others might say that it was best to let the dead rest, but then again, people only said that because there was no real way to bring them back. However, here it was, the chance to bring back Lynn, to bring back their sister, Lincoln's lover. And all that was required was to be the last man standing. Part of Luna was worried about what this war would do to Lincoln, he was a sweet, dorky kid. Selfish at times, but when you're the middle child of ten sisters, a little selfishness was warranted. He was also the best little brother and best big brother to the younger Louds.

What would happen to him after he took someone's life? Luna had heard stories about soldiers, how they described a change inside them once you take another person's life for the first time. That's what probably scared Luna the most, more than losing Lincoln and Lucy, how much would this change them? Would they still be able to remain the same after taking someone's life?

"Look, little bro, I don't like this. Not one bit," said Luna.

"Luna –!"

"But," she interrupted, "I know if it was me trying to bring back Sam, or if it was Lori trying to bring back Bobby, the answer's simple. Yes, we would probably do what you're doing. Just…" Luna got down on one knee and looked into her brother's eyes. "Please promise me one thing Linc."

"Anything."

"Whatever happens, if – when you win, please don't change. Lynn fell in…in love – god that's so weird to say – with you because of who you are now. Just don't lose sight of yourselves, you or Lucy, so that way Lynn doesn't come back to a couple of strangers."

Lincoln didn't know if that's a promise he could keep, he'd already changed when Lynn died, and again in preparation for the Holy Grail War, but, Luna was right, Lynn fell in love with him for the boy he was, and that boy still resided in Lincoln. "I will."

* * *

Luna and Lincoln returned home and informed Lucy that they have come to an understanding. Before the battle came around, Team Loud decided to have a strategy meeting. With Luna in on their activity, both Lucy and Lincoln thought it best to bring her in on their plan. At midnight, the Holy Grail War would officially begin, all three Louds were glad it was still summer break, otherwise this would be harder. All four had gathered in Lucy's room, with Lancelot taking a seat between both Lucy and Lincoln. Despite knowing who and what he was, Luna was still skeptical about trusting the spirit.

"Ma – ahem – Lincoln, what is our battle plan?" Lancelot asked.

Lincoln glanced over to Lucy. "Well, six months ago, Lucy had set up a detection field around the town."

Luna looked at Lucy with confusion and asked, "When the hell did you do that?"

"Do you remember those requests for rides to those random spots at the edge of the city I asked you for?"

Luna did remember them, Lucy had said it was for some complicated occult stuff. The teen rocker never asked why Lucy was doing it, but now she understood, and Luna just now realized she was being used which earned the young sorceress a glare from Luna.

"Oh yeah, I do, not cool, sis," said Luna.

"Sorry for the deception, but thanks to that, I can know do this." Lucy brought out a paper map of Royal Woods. She then placed eight stones at different marked points on the map itself, and as soon as she did, they began to glow. "Each stone resonates with the spell circle I drew at one of those locations. It then casts a wide net, allowing me to detect high levels of magical energy. Unfortunately, as well versed as I am, I am still technically a…a novice. So, while my detection spell can't pinpoint locations it can, at least, tell us if there are people in the town with strong magical energy."

Lucy waved her hands over the map, and almost instantly three blips appeared, which made Lincoln and Luna's eyes widen.

"There are already guys here?!" Luna asked.

"Only three though, with us that makes four. The other Masters and Servants have yet to arrive," said Lancelot.

"This is good, right? If we take out a few now, we'll have less to worry about later," said Lincoln.

"Maybe, but I don't like that there are only that many. Also, we can't underestimate our opponents," Lucy warned. "It's very likely that they are all here and are aware of my detection spell, and are purposefully masking their presence."

"On that note, what exactly can you do, dude?" Luna asked as she crossed her arms and gave Lancelot a scrutinizing look. "I know you're fast, and that you have a crazy looking lightsaber, but what else?"

Lincoln and Lucy smacked their foreheads, they had almost forgot to ask what Lancelot's abilities were.

"I don't mind sharing that, if it is alright with you, Lincoln?" Lancelot asked.

"Yes, please do, we need to know anyway before the fighting starts," said Lincoln.

"Very well, I'll start with two of my abilities that could prove more useful than my main Noble Phantasm. _**Eternal Arms Mastership**_ and _**A Knight Does Not Die With Empty Hands**_, in it's simplest terms, it means I am proficient with any type of weapon, even unarmed combat. Along with that, the moment I take hold of a weapon I can grant it the same status as a Noble Phantasm, if necessary, I can even wield the Noble Phantasms of other Servants."

"Whoa, wait seriously?!" Lincoln asked.

"So long as they are weapon based, then it is possible," said Lancelot.

"I had no idea you had such abilities," said Lucy.

Luna looked between her siblings and threw up her hands. "Okay, time out, what the hell does 'noble phantasm' mean?"

Lincoln and Lucy looked embarrassed, they did a lot of studying when it came to Servants, but Luna had no idea what that meant.

"A Noble Phantasm represents the cumulative power of that Heroic Spirit's legend given physical form. It can be almost anything, from a suit of armor, a simple cloth, or something as grand as a spell or a weapon. In Lancelot's case, his Noble Phantasm is his sword, but with his abilities, Lancelot can wield any other weapon based Noble Phantasm of another Servant and use it as his own," Lucy explained.

"Basically, it's like hacking another person's weapon and taking it for your own," Lincoln clarified.

Luna slowly nodded. "Okay…so, if you can do that, what's your _actual _Noble Phantasm?"

"As a Saber, mine would be my sword."

"That wispy thing? It didn't even look like a weapon," said Luna.

"That is because I was concealing its true form by keeping it in a phantasmal state. More than anything, in a Grail War, information on your opponent can severely change the tide of a battle, that's true of anything," said Lancelot.

"In essence, revealing the name of a Noble Phantasm could reveal the true name of the Servant. And if they know Lancelot's name, then they can look up if he has any weaknesses. Although, the same is true of our opponents, if we know the name of their Servant, we can look up how to defeat them, if there are any ways," said Lucy.

Luna's head was starting to hurt, it seemed that there was more to this Holy Grail War than she first thought. It wasn't just about how strong the Servant and Master was, it also boiled down how much information on your opponent you were able to dig up.

"I also possess the _**Riding **_skill, _**Magic Resistance**_, as well as my other two personal abilities _**Knight of the Lake **_and _**Protection of Fairies**_. The latter is primarily for used for battles, but the first can be used in any situation to increase my power," Lancelot explained further.

Lincoln began to think as he went over all of Lancelot's skills. "So…just to make sure, say you used a different sword, if you used it, it could turn into a Noble Phantasm and become stronger than a normal sword?"

Lancelot nodded. "Essentially, yes."

The white haired boy smiled and snapped his fingers. "Okay, then I think I know a way to throw off our opponents when we fight them, but I'm going to need two things!"

"Like what?" Lucy asked.

"First, I need to borrow some money from Lola! Second, Luna, I need you to give us a ride to the mall!"

Luna, Lucy, and Lancelot all glanced between each other, wondering what exactly Lincoln was thinking about?

* * *

**Team Santiago **

Night had fallen, it was ten minutes to midnight, and once the hour was here, the Holy Grail War would begin. Ronnie Anne made sure to spend some time with her family members, as much as she could here and there. Surprisingly, they were very accepting of having Quetz around, almost like she was already a part of their family. And honestly, it wasn't as if Ronnie Anne could see the Aztec goddess being a Casagrande.

But that was for another time. Now, she and Quetz were standing on a roof top, the moon was full and the city was illuminated with dozens of lights. Quetz stood on the edge of the roof as she took in the sight of the city, basking in the glow of the modern world.

"Such a vibrant and bright city, it much reminds me of temples and villages of my worshippers," said Quetz.

"Yeah, it took me a while, but I started to like the city, it's got it's flaws, but it's still a great place to live," said Ronnie Anne.

"Hmm, I'll make certain that you can return to this home, Dominar," said Quetz.

Ronnie Anne smiled, her attention was then taken by the opening of the roof door. From it emerged Rosa, carrying a holster with a strange looking revolver gun and a backpack, and with her was Sid. Rosa walked to Ronnie Anne and gave the weapon to the young Latina.

"I enchanted the holster and weapon, so no one will be able to see it or notice that it's there, but be careful when using it in public, if you use it in front of people for too long the enchantment will wear off," Rosa explained.

Ronnie Anne took the weapon and secured it to her pants belt.

Rosa had Sid give her the backpack and opened the zipper to show a number of materials. "I packed a few things in case you run low on materials for your magic. Hopefully you'll be able to get more if need be. If you need to, you can always come back to get more."

"Thanks, Abuela." Ronnie Anne slung the backpack over her shoulders. She then looked at Sid and asked, "Nervous?"

"Are you?" Sid replied.

Ronnie Anne gave a little shrug. "Y-Yeah, a little."

The half-Chinese girl fidgeted in place. As much as she didn't want to think about it, this night, this moment, was possibly the last time she'd see Ronnie Anne alive until the War was over. She could easily die out there, but Sid didn't want to think like that. Ronnie Anne was strong, fierce, fearless, and tenacious, if there was anyone who could make it out of this it was her. Still…

"Ronnie Anne?"

"Yeah, Sid – Mmph!"

Before Ronnie Anne could register it, Sid had pulled the Latina teen into a kiss, a deep passionate kiss that honestly surprised Ronnie Anne, but it wasn't unwelcome as she returned it with the same kind of passion as Sid showed. The two girls broke the kiss and touched their foreheads as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Promise me you'll come back," said Sid.

"I swear I will," said Ronnie Anne.

Quetz watched their display and smiled broadly, seemingly more inspired by her young Master. Rosa had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying, both because her daughter was going off to do battle, and because of how beautiful this moment was.

Ronnie Anne separated herself from Sid and looked towards Quetz. "So, Quetz, you said you had a way to get us to Royal Woods."

"Indeed I do!" Quetzalcoatl slammed her right fist into her left hand, instantly, flames erupted around her body as her clothes shifted back to her ancient garb. "I will summon that creature which also carry's my namesake!"

The Aztec goddess motioned for everyone to step back. The three humans gave Quetz a large berth, just in case. Quetzalcoatl went down on one knee and slammed her right palm onto the roof. A gale-force wind erupted around them, howling and blistering with great ferocity. Rosa, Sid, and Ronnie Anne squinted as the wind buffeted them, all three wondering what Quetz was doing.

They soon got their answer when something began to form above them, its shadow overcast them all as it was silhouetted in the light of the full moon.

* * *

**Team Loud**

Tonight was the night, Luna had wished her two siblings good luck and to come back home no matter what. Lucy and Lincoln promised that they would, and Lancelot swore on his honor as a knight to bring them back safely. Their mission was simple, they would simply roam about the town, while Lucy's detection field wasn't able to accurately pinpoint the locations of the mages, she could however pinpoint them if she was in a somewhat close proximity, at least within a ten meter radius.

Lincoln had Lancelot come along with them, thankfully they were able to go to Reininger's where Miguel still worked, and with this help, were able to pick out some normal clothes for Lancelot to wear. Now, at least, they wouldn't have to worry about being unaccompanied minors walking the streets when they had a grown adult with them.

Lincoln kept a close watch on his cellphone, constantly checking the time. It now read "11:59 pm". "One minute to midnight."

"Master, I think it should be obvious, but just in case. When we're not at your home, it's best to call me by my class. I will address you as Master," Lancelot looked to Lucy, "and you young miss, as Milady."

"Understood," said Lucy.

"Secrecy is our best weapon." Lincoln looked at his phone again and grimaced. "It's officially midnight."

As the three continued to walk, all them could tell that something wasn't right.

"Does it feel more…empty around here than usual?" Lincoln asked.

"I wasn't sure at first, but yes, I haven't seen a soul so far since we've entered the city proper," said Lancelot.

"I think we may've wandered into a Bounded Field, a good one at that," said Lucy.

Suddenly, Lancelot got on edge, his gaze narrowed as he stopped both Lincoln and Lucy from going further. "They're here."

Both the teen and preteen looked straight ahead, the sounds of footsteps echoed unnaturally loud in the air. They watched as a man came into view, he was dark skinned, with piercing yellow eyes, and silvery white hair. His outfit was of black leather and cloth, with yellow stripes and edges.

"Is that…?" Lucy asked.

Lancelot nodded, his body was then shrouded in cerulean light, after a second the light faded and revealed Lancelot in his full armor. In his right hand he wielded a long claymore sword, the hilt was wrapped in brown leather, with a gray colored pummel and guard. The sword had strange, runic markings that were carved into the flat of the sword on both sides.

"Well, at least you're not completely inept, you were able to sense my presence," said the Servant.

"I am Saber, and you are?" Lancelot asked.

"Hmm, let me answer that in the following way."

Yellow light flashed into the unknown Servant's hands, and from it appeared two guns. One was black and white with a metal blade melded to the bottom of the barrel, the second was white and black and also sported a blade. Without missing a beat, the Servant fired off multiple shots towards them.

Time seemed to slow down as Lancelot watched the bullets fly towards them, but with this great speed and reflexes, these weren't a problem. What happened next transpired in a blur for the two youths. They saw streaks of blue light slice through the air at rapid speeds while the other Servant kept firing. Finally, after about thirty seconds, the unknown Servant stopped. Lancelot remained in his guarded stance, but all around them the ground was littered with bullets that were cut in half.

"I'll assume you're an Archer."

"Bingo, and you seem to be pretty strong too. Good, there'd be no point in putting in the effort otherwise," said Archer.

Lincoln and Lucy were still stunned by what they just witnessed. They were very nearly killed by Archer, if it wasn't for Lancelot they'd have already died. Every cell in Lincoln's body was screaming at him to run away, and he could see the same fear in his little sister.

"Master."

Lincoln froze.

"I know you are afraid. Fear is natural, it keeps us alive." Lancelot glanced over his shoulder and shot Lincoln an encouraging smile. "But we must not let fear rule us, it is in those times where courage flourishes. Now, please, what are your orders?"

Lincoln shook his head and slapped his cheeks, this wasn't the time for fear, like Lancelot had told him, this was the time to show courage. Lucy was already afraid, if he didn't show that he had the courage to fight, then she'd lose her courage too. Lincoln stood confidently as he stared directly at Archer.

"Go Saber, strike down Archer with your sword!" Lincoln ordered.

Lancelot smiled as blue mana began to swirl about him. "By your command, my Master!"


	4. The Battle Begins

The streets came alive with the sounds of gunfire and metal. Archer took advantage of his distance, firing off multiple rounds as Lancelot tried to close the gap between them. The Knight of Lake used his claymore to either deflect or slice the bullets that came at him, demonstrating that his fighting prowess was not to be underestimated.

Lancelot jumped upwards at an angle, aiming for the building to his right. He then flipped in midair and landed on his feet, Lancelot took a half a second to see his target before spring boarding off the side of the building and right towards Archer. The silver haired Servant raised both his guns just in time as Lancelot came down with an overhead strike, the impact of his sword made the very ground beneath Archer fissure from sheer brute force.

"Well good, if you weren't strong this would be boring," Archer taunted.

_This Servant…he's dangerous, too dangerous to let live. I can sense his emptiness, his contempt, I cannot allow someone like this to roam around to harm Lincoln and Lady Lucy, _thought Lancelot.

Archer pushed back on Lancelot's sword, making the Knight of the Lake flip in midair and land back on the street, but Lancelot didn't let him get a chance to fire of his guns, instead he bolted straight for Archer, thrusting his claymore. Archer narrowly missed the stab and tried to fire his gun, but Lancelot parried his weapon, making the shot fly up and away from him.

Lancelot continued his assault, forcing Archer to use the blades on his guns to counterattack. No more shots were fired as Lancelot managed to force Archer into a close-range fight, the ringing of their blades made the very air vibrate.

Meanwhile, Lincoln and Lucy were watching Lancelot, the awestruck look on their faces was plain to see as they finally got to see just how skilled of a fighter Lancelot was. However, something didn't feel right, no something was off.

Lucy looked over her shoulder and noticed a figure approaching them. The figure looked ghostly white, and was carrying what looked like a knife. The ten-year-old didn't waste time speaking, she merely turned around and thrust her right arm forward. Lucy extended her right index finger as black and red energy began to swirl around her right hand and condense at the tip of her finger.

"Gandr!"

The figure increased its pace, breaking into a full sprint as it came straight at the two siblings. The condensed energy was then released, firing off like a bullet that flew straight down the sidewalk. The bolt of black and red energy hit the figure square in the chest and made it pause for a moment as it stumbled backward.

Lincoln had saw this, he wasn't sure what kind of spell she had cast, but it seemed to do the trick. But whatever its effects were didn't last long, the white figure began to run again going at the same speed it was earlier.

"Gasp! That's not possible, that should've struck with the same force as a bullet, no way anyone could still be standing after that!" Lucy stated.

Lincoln glanced at his card case and then back approaching figure. "Then it looks like I get use these!"

The white haired teen opened his deck carrier, his magical energy flowed into his right hand, it began to connect to the cards as Lincoln thought of the cards he needed to conduct the spell. The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Diamonds, the King of Spades, the King of Hearts, and finally a Ten of Clubs. Lincoln channeled elemental magic through this combo, calling on the raw power of lightning.

"Fulgur!" Lincoln exclaimed.

The five cards formed a star pattern and from it fired a bolt of lightning that crackled with power as it soared through the air and struck the attacker head on. A small explosion like that of thunder went off as the attacker was no longer standing. Lincoln's cards still hovered in midair, but it was only now that he realized that he had just killed someone.

However, before the weight of the situation could fall on him, something else fell, a head. Lincoln yelped when the attacker's head rolled on the ground in front of him.

Lucy bent down and examined it, when she did, she made a shocking discovery. "Lincoln, it's not a real person! It's some kind of mannequin!"

"Wait, you're saying I just blew up a one of those things that has clothes on it at the mall?"

"That's why my Gandr spell had no effect, it didn't feel pain because it wasn't alive," said Lucy.

Lincoln caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The white haired boy quickly turned towards it and spotted yet another of the mannequins coming towards them. Lincoln fired off another lightning spell, blowing it up upon impact. Another appeared around the corner of an alley, but Lucy fired off a stronger Gandr spell, this time punching holes through it until it was completely immobile.

Unfortunately, this kept happening, more and more of the pale white mannequins were appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. Lincoln brought out more cards and willed a few to them to spin at a rapid speed, he then launched the cards, turning them into energized flying buzzsaws that cut through the air. The energized buzzsaw cards sliced through several more of the mannequins, felling them easily enough, but there were still more.

Meanwhile, Lancelot was still battling Archer, the dark Servant was surprisingly good at swordplay, it was almost strange that he was an Archer, it was as if he was a hybrid of both a Saber and an Archer. Lancelot came in with another slash at the same time as Archer, their blades clashed as both warriors were pushed back from the force of their attacks, putting a good five feet of space between them.

"You're Masters seem like they're in trouble over there," Archer pointed out.

Lancelot turned his attention back to Lincoln and Lucy and watched as they were being attacked by mannequins from all sides. They seemed to be holding their own, but if left alone any longer they'd be overwhelmed.

"I see, this was your plan! In that case…!" Lancelot's body erupted with blue energy, that same energy began to swirl around his sword as he widened his stance. "I'll have to get serious!"

"Whoa, whoa, you're saying that you haven't been serious?"

Lancelot ceased any movement upon hearing this new voice, Archer did the same, even the mannequins halted their attack. All present looked towards the opposite side of the street, a fair skinned girl appeared out of one of the alleys. She wore a black hoodie, and had brown, pixie cut hair. Her eyes gray like storm clouds, and in her right hand she held a pistol.

"Seems like an unfair fight, why don't we even the odds? Berserker, get in there."

Lancelot and Archer sensed a presence, both looked up and watched as someone, or some thing, materialized above them. The being came down right between them, causing the Saber and Archer to jump back as Berserker slammed down onto the road, kicking up a dust cloud.

Lincoln took this opportunity to use another combination, creating a barrier around both himself and Lucy. Neither Servant moved as they waited to see who or what Berserker was, but Berserker wasn't a fan of waiting, red shined within the dust as a gust of wind blew away the dust, allowing all to view Berserker's form.

He was a dark skinned man, with big, lean muscles. His body was covered in a strange, obsidian colored armor, the armor looked as if it had come from the hide of a creature as several spines grew out of the armor, even a bony tail slithered as if still alive. The man had a black hood up, with red eyes, and red markings painted on his body. In his right hand he held a long, crimson spear. At first, Archer and Lancelot thought they heard wrong, despite his armor, he looked like he was a Lancer, but the animalistic aura that came off of him was definitely like that of a Berserker.

"Who do you want me to kill?" Berserker asked.

"Hmm, go for the knight, I never really cared for that whole 'knight in shining armor' thing," said the girl.

"Got it."

Berserker twirled his spear around and dashed towards Lancelot. The Knight of the Lake immediately went on guard as Berserker thrust with his spear. Lancelot managed to parry the attack, but Berserker spun the spear around and came in with swipe. Lancelot used his sword to block the attack, but the moment he did, he had to dig his heels into the asphalt to keep from being thrown into the side of the building.

_What do you think? Should I join in? _Archer asked.

_Attack where you can, but try not to draw the ire of Berserker. Fall back when it looks like Saber is about to lose, we'll need to rethink our strategy when it comes to Berserker, _spoke Archer's Master.

Archer nodded and reloaded his weapons. Lancelot managed to parry a blow from Berserker and was about to go in for an attack, but Archer fired a shot at the knight, making him go back on the defensive as he blocked the bullet. That gave Berserker enough time to thrust kick Lancelot in the chest, sending him flying back down the street.

Berserker didn't let up as he chased after Lancelot, catching up with the renowned knight as he thrust his crimson spear. Lancelot managed to recover and sidestepped to the right to avoid the blow, but Berserker merely used that move a feint as he spun in place, using the bone tail of his armor to strike Lancelot. The Knight of the Lake was once again sent flying, but this time he impacted against a parked car, leaving a body sized indention.

On the other side of the street, Lincoln and Lucy huddled inside the barrier as the mannequins continued to strike at his shield, trying to break through it and end their lives. Berserker's Master began walking towards them, a sinister smile was plastered on her face as she revealed a gauntlet on her right arm.

"Guessing you're Saber's Master, or at least one of you is," said the girl. "Eh, doesn't matter, you'll be dead soon enough, count yourselves lucky. Trust me, you do **not **want to get hit with Berserker's spear. Compared to that, anything else is mercy."

The girl's gauntlet began to glow, the metal started to transform, molding itself into a drill-like weapon. The girl cocked back her right arm and thrust it forward, striking the shield head on. The drill began to spin at a rapid pace, releasing a shrill sound as it began to pierce Lincoln's shield.

"Master!" Lancelot called out. "Hold on!"

Lancelot ripped himself out of the car and was about to jump into the air, but as he did, Berserker intercepted him, grabbing the knight by his left leg and slammed him back down to the ground.

"Pay attention to your own life," said Berserker.

Things were not looking good, Berserker was not giving Lancelot any time to counterattack, and now this new person was about to break through their shield. Lincoln wracked his brain as he tried to figure out a way out of this situation, he wasn't going to lose another family member, not here, not tonight.

Just then, a loud screech pierced the night, making all combatants cease their actions. A shadow was cast upon the battlefield, making everyone look up into the sky, and what they saw confused them. The creature that made the noise was in fact a very large pterosaur, with very colorful markings and plumage. The giant dinosaur hovered in the air, as a figure rose from its back. That same figure jumped off its back and landed on the ground with a powerful, booming impact.

* * *

"THIS IS SOO COOL!" Ronnie Anne shouted.

Never in a million years would Ronnie Anne think she'd be riding on top of a dinosaur, to be more specific, a pterosaur, and one of the biggest ones to exist. Their flight from Great Lakes City to Royal Woods was way shorter than if she was traveling by car. Normally it was at least a three hour drive, but they were at the outskirts of the city in less than five minutes.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, Ronnie Anne!" Quetz looked down into the town below, to the city proper. Something was going on down there, something that was drawing her attention.

"What's wrong?!"

"There's a fight happening down there, I sense at least three Servants down there, it seems there's a barrier protecting them from sight," said Quetz.

"Three already…" Ronnie Anne wasn't sure if they should wade into a fight right away, then again, this could be the only chance they got to take out more than one of their competition at once. "What do you think?"

"It's up to you, you're the Master, I'll fight whomever you decide. Just make sure you don't get in over your head," said Quetz.

Ronnie Anne looked down at the ground, she couldn't see anything, but she trusted that Quetz saw what she saw. The Latina teen took a deep breath and knitted her brow. "Quetz, let's go!"

"¡Si, mi Maestro!" Quetz exclaimed.

The giant pterosaur angled down, flying towards downtown and piercing through the Bounded Field, the pterosaur slowed down and hovered over the battlefield as Quetz shot a sharp, shark toothed grin at Ronnie Anne.

"Hang onto me!"

Ronnie Anne clamped her arms around Quetz's neck and then the Aztec goddess jumped straight up into the air, and then came back down with a thundering "BOOM" that cracked the asphalt of the road. After shaking off the daze of the landing, Ronnie Anne slid off of Quetz's back as she drew her weapon, at the same time, Quetzalcoatl formed a shield with Aztec markings around her left arm, and into her right hand she summoned a sword, it was made of gold, but on the sides were shards of obsidian.

"Okay, which one of you guys wants to…to…¡¿que demonios?!" Ronnie Anne couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The other Servants paused upon their arrival and their bombastic entrance, even the unknown Master and puppets did the same, allowing Ronnie Anne to take in the full scope of the battlefield. Lincoln and Lucy were huddled together inside a barrier, the puppets and the unknown Master were working to get at them.

Lancelot was on the ground, with Berserker still holding onto his leg, and Archer was behind them. The young Latina teen didn't know what to make of this. Why were Lincoln and Lucy here? Why were they in the middle of this mess? From the expressions on both of their faces, it seemed as if they were in just as much as shock as she was.

Then it hit her, one of them was a Master, which meant that one of these Heroic Spirits was their Servant. Ronnie Anne prayed that he was fighting for the same reason she was, otherwise this was going to be a short battle for her, and not in the good way either.

"WHICH ONE IS YOURS?!" Ronnie Anne yelled.

Lincoln understood what she meant.

"Brother, wait what if–?!"

"THE ONE IN THE PURPLE ARMOR AND USING A SWORD, SABER!" Lincoln replied.

Ronnie Anne nodded. "Quetz, help out Saber!"

Quetz locked onto Berserker, her smile morphing into something fierce as rows of sharp teeth appeared. "At your command, my Master!"

The Aztec goddess took off at lightning speed, raising her sword into the air as she approached Berserker. The indifferent look on Berserker's face began to change the closer that Quetz got to him. Once she was upon him, Berserker released Lancelot and raised his spear up to block her overhead strike, but that was just a feint. While still in midair, Quetzalcoatl spun around and delivered a kick to Berserker's unprotected chest, sending the armored beast flying into a couple of cars before smashing through the window of a locally owned business.

Lancelot managed to turn over and sit on his rear as he took a mere moment to collect himself. Quetz appeared next to him and offered the knight a helping hand.

"Might I lend you a hand, Saber?" Quetz asked.

Lancelot grinned and took her hand, letting her hoist him back up to standing height. "Much appreciated…Rider?"

"Si, I am a Rider. It was the giant pterosaur that gave it away, wasn't it?" Quetz asked jokingly.

Berserker smashed his way out of the business and jumped into the air, landing back into the street as he twirled his spear around and readied himself for combat. Lancelot and Quetz got into ready positions, but Lancelot made sure to face Archer who still had his guns trained on them.

"What do you suggest our battle plan be, dear knight?" Quetz asked.

"Berserker is dangerous, that's a fact. He's very strong, if I had to venture a guess, he may be a demigod. Archer is another story, I sense nothing but cold hearted destruction from him, he's equally, if not more dangerous," said Lancelot.

"I see, so, would you like me to handle Berserker while you take Archer?"

Lancelot glanced at Quetz. "Are you sure, he's a strong one?"

Quetz gave a shark toothed grin. "I am not your average Heroic Spirit, actually, I'm not a 'Heroic' Spirit at all."

Lancelot wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he could sense that Rider was on another level than he was, and perhaps a match, if not more, for Berserker. "Very well, I shall leave Berserker to you!"

"Then you can take care of Archer!"

Lancelot once again glowed with blue mana, at the same time, Quetzalcoatl glowed with golden mana. The two Servants dashed in opposite directions, heading straight for their opponents.

Quetz came in again with her sword, this time Berserker countered by thrusting forward with his spear. The goddess backed off and raised her shield, letting it take the brunt of his attack. The impact caused a shockwave that rocked the nearby parked cars and rattled the windows. _Saber was right, he is powerful, this might actually be a challenge! Though, it's going to be hard getting in some wrestling moves with all that spikey armor._

Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne spun the wheel of her revolver-like weapon and pointed it at where Lincoln, Lucy, the unknown Master, and puppets were gathered. She have Lincoln a direct look, trying to convey her instructions the best she could through her eyes and hoping he understood her. Luckily, all this time away from each other didn't diminish their connection as much as she thought, especially when she saw Lincoln hit the deck and bring Lucy down with him.

"Bala Mágica: ¡Luz de las Estrellas!" Ronnie Anne cast.

A surge of magical energy flowed through the gun, Ronnie Anne pulled the trigger and let loose the bullet. A silver streak exited the mouth of the gun, but not a moment or two after that did the bullet break apart into multiple pieces.

"Oh, shit!" the unknown Master exclaimed.

A rapid fire barrage of silver shards pelted the area, each one streaking through the air as the bullet was broken down piece by piece and fired at incredibly fast speeds. What wasn't pierced, the shards embedded themselves, this kept going until the bullet was completely gone.

In the next moment, the individual shards glowed brighter and brighter until each one detonated in a cascade of explosions that blanketed the sidewalk, building and part of the street. When the dust settled, the only things that were left standing was the barrier, and a shield made of rippling metal.

The metal shield came down slightly, allowing the unknown Master to look from behind it. "Okay, that was wicked!"

"Glad you liked it, here's something else!" Ronnie Anne spun the wheel again. "Bala Mágica: ¡Armadura!"

Ronnie Anne fired yet another bullet, but this one glowed bright blue. The bullet flew through the air, but it didn't move in straight line, it bent and curved as it traveled towards the unknown Master. The unknown Master raised her shield again as the bullet struck the shield from all sides, but then turned around and headed for its caster. The young Latina ran towards her opponent and towards the bullet. With her left hand she punched forward, striking the bullet. The bullet broke down into pieces that began to enlarge and form around her.

In a matter of seconds, Ronnie Anne was covered in blue metal armor, with claw gauntlets, a tuft of white fur which formed a collar around her head, and a helmet that had a wolf head design. The Latina continued running towards her opponent as she jumped up and slammed her left fist into the shield. The added power of the armor forcefully pushed her back.

Now that the danger of the puppets was gone, Lincoln brought down the shield and commanded another combination of cards to come out of his deck. Lucy prepared to cast another Gandr spell, but she kept an eye out for more puppets.

"I can't believe you're here," said Lincoln.

"You have a lot of explaining to do when this is over, Lame-O," said Ronnie Anne.

"Heh, fair enough."

Lincoln energized the cards and flung one of them at the unknown Master. The moment the card made contact it exploded, forcing the Master to remain on the defensive. Ronnie Anne came in from the side, ready to slam her gun into the side of their opponent's head, but the girl merely raised her left hand, and from it a bronze metal blade came out to intercept, a clash of metal against metal rang out as Ronnie Anne grunted from the impact along with the unknown Master.

While this was going on, Quetz and Berserker were having at it. For a large man with heavy looking armor, Berserker moved incredibly fast, however, it was still not enough to out pace the Aztec goddess. Quetz was throwing off Berserker, due to her unusual fighting style, she would come at him with her sword a few times, but then would abandon them for a moment to engage in hand-to-hand combat. She'd also make use of their surroundings, either jumping or bounding off the walls or cars to give her an extra bit of power into her attacks.

Not that she needed it, Berserker could feel that this Servant had incredible strength, comparable to his, if not stronger. The more he fought, the more this battle intrigued him. Quetz picked up one of the cars and tossed it straight at Berserker, the large man swatted it away, only for Quetz to come in with a drop kick right behind it, catching Berserker in this chest.

The black armored Servant coughed from the impact, staggering him just a bit. That was all that she needed. Quetz managed to get behind Berserker, avoiding his bone tail and hoisted him up by the middle. Berserker didn't know how to respond as he was lifted up and then brought back down into a powerful suplex drop, with Quetz showing off her perfect bridge.

The goddess rolled away, seeing how Berserker's head was pile drived into the hard asphalt and concrete of the road. But that didn't last long as Berserker tore his head out of the hole and glared back at Quetz.

"Aye, it looks like I finally made you mad," said Quetz. "Good, it's no fun if you're not giving it your all!"

Lancelot and Archer were back at their old tricks, with Lancelot deflecting or dodging his bullets to get in close to him. Archer contemplated unleashing his Noble Phantasm, but he couldn't risk it yet, he needed to limit Saber's mobility first. However, that was proving to be easier said than done.

The Knight of the Lake thrust with his claymore sword, as expected, Archer dodged it, but left his right arm stretched out ever so slightly. Lancelot took this opportunity to strike upwards, knocking Archer's gun straight into the air. Lancelot jumped after it, but Archer didn't care.

"You kidding?" Archer's right hand glowed yellow as yet another gun appeared. "I'm never short on weapons."

Lancelot reached out with his left hand grasped the gun, his abilities already kicked in as the ominous glow of Archer's power was snuffed out and replaced with Lancelot's power, the knowledge of how to use such a weapon flowed into his mind as if the weapon itself was speaking to him. Lancelot took aim, surprising Archer.

"What the hell?!"

*Bang!*

A bullet flew out from the gun Lancelot procured, Archer jumped back just in time to miss the shot. Lancelot landed back onto the ground and looked at the weapon with a bit of disappointment. "Such an uncivilized weapon."

Archer glared at his opponent, feeling that he had been dealt a great indignity. "That's not possible! How are you able to use my own weapon?!"

Lancelot twirled his claymore in his right hand, and the gun in his left. "The real question is: how are you going to fight back now that I have one of your weapons?"

The Knight of the Lake fired more shots as he charged for Archer. The added distraction of bullets flying at him made it hard for Archer to return fire safely, he didn't dare let one of his own bullets hit him, if he did, and activated his Noble Phantasm, Saber wouldn't be the only Servant lying dead in the streets.

_Archer, retreat for now_, spoke his Master.

_This is a minor setback, I can still –!_

_The odds are no longer in our favor, plus, he just used your own weapon against you, we need to rethink our strategy for dealing with him, Berserker and Rider. Now do as I say!_

Archer scoffed, he didn't like to admit it, but his Master was right, the odds certainly weren't in his favor, and Saber's ability to wield his weapons in addition to his own was troubling. A puppet jumped out of another alleyway from one of the buildings and landed between Archer and Lancelot. The Knight of the Lake sliced through the puppet, but that was what Archer wanted. The puppet exploded, creating a bright light that temporarily blinded Lancelot. When the spots were gone from his eyes, Archer was gone too.

The unknown Master saw this and grimaced. "Okay, that's not good. Two against one is not my thing."

"Oh really?! You had no problem when you ganged up on us!" Lincoln accused.

"Only when it's not my ass on the receiving end, kid. Berserker! We're out!"

Berserker looked to his Master, and then back at Quetz. With a reluctant grunt, Berserker dashed towards his Master, picked her up and jumped away into the distance. All five of them waited to see if there would be anymore attacks, but so far there were none. Now that Archer and Berserker were gone, a new tension was mounting between the two teams. Yes, they worked in perfect sync earlier, but that was mostly due to their friendship, but Lincoln didn't know what Ronnie Anne's involvement in the Holy Grail War was, Ronnie Anne had an idea why Lincoln was in it, but she couldn't be entirely sure.

"Well, this is awkward," said Ronnie Anne.

"That's an understatement," said Lucy.

The two Servants looked between their young Masters, noticing the tension.

"Perhaps we may a call a truce, Master?" Lancelot suggested.

"I wouldn't mind that, Chica, besides," Quetz punched the side of Lancelot's arm. "I like this one!"

Ronnie Anne chuckled and then turned to her friend and his sister. The Latina held out her hand and asked, "Truce?"

Lincoln glanced to Lucy, he could sense that Lucy didn't want to trust Ronnie Anne, and she had a point. They really didn't know the reason why she was in the War to begin with, and there was a good chance that they could take out Lancelot, but Lincoln didn't want to suspect one of his best friends, not yet at least.

The white haired boy took Ronnie Anne's hand and shook. "Truce."

"¡Excelente!" Quetz exclaimed. "Now is there any place we can talk?"

"You're house?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"My house," said Lincoln. He glanced to Lucy who still didn't seem to like this. "C'mon, Luce, it's Ronnie Anne."

"Sigh…fine, but one wrong move I swear I'll curse you," she threatened.

Ronnie Anne held up her hands as if surrendering. "Whoa, down girl, I promise I'm not here to hurt you guys. Cause, if I'm right, we're fighting for the same reason."

* * *

While all this was going on down below, another team watched from the top of a nearby building. A girl of twenty years, she wore a purple skirt, black blouse, and a matching purple jacket. Around her neck was a powder blue ascot, and upon her hand were the Command Seals of a Master. She had shoulder length blonde hair, with a blue hairband, and blue eyes that sparkled in the night.

Next to her was a heavily armored young girl, about the same age as she was, maybe a year or two younger. Her armor resembled that of a medieval knight, with a large, broad shield strapped to her left arm, and in her right she held an ornate jousting lance. The Servant's green eyes narrowed as she looked upon Saber, her grip on her lance tightening in response.

"Are you okay, Lancer?" her Master asked.

"No – I mean – Yes! I am, Master Carol, please don't worry about me!" Lancer stated.

"Saber seems to make you uneasy, do you recognize him?"

Lancer sighed heavily. "I do…we have history, and I mean that literally."

Carol placed her hand on her Servant's shoulder and said, "I don't doubt that you do, you guys are from the same legend after all."

"Humph! Well, that doesn't matter! You are my Master, and as your knight, I pledge to fight by your side and take down all that stand in your way!" Lancer proclaimed proudly.

Carol smiled sadly as she looked back down to the streets below. She set up that Bounded Field as a means to flush out any Masters and Servants, she was certain that there were more than just the four teams who were watching, but they seemed to keep their presence hidden. From what she could discern from the conversations below, Saber, Rider, Archer, and Berserker had made themselves known, which left Assassin and Caster as the last two who were probably watching this battle.

Still…

_Why Lori…Why did one of those Master's have to be your little brother…?_


	5. A Short Reprieve

**A/N: Yes, this fic still lives! Sorry all, managing 3 ongoing stories is tough, but fun! If you're wondering, the other story on this site is "_Loud House: Enter the Black Vortex_". Gotten a lot of faves and follows, and is a harem story of our favorite white haired male protag!**

**Anyway, allow me to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, whatever! Just have a fun with your friends and family! This will probably be the only upload for this week as the 25th is my B-Day and I'll probably be taking a break this week! Now for the Q/A!**

**Cybarhack99: There will be only 2 Alters, the reasons for that will be made clear down the line. Or if you're deep into the Fate Lore, you'll get where I'm going with this.**

**ServantSanta: Oh I'm sure you'll figure out who Assassin and Caster are...read on and see.**

**Cross177: To answer your question on who Berserker is, see Cybarhack99's review. **

**You all seem to think that our Lancer is Artoria. Is it Artoria? Or someone who has a similar appearance of blonde with green eyes? Time fot find out!**

* * *

Lincoln groaned as he rolled about in his bed, he felt sore all over, but thankful he was in his bed. His mind wouldn't stop replaying the events of last night, which caused him to thrash in his sleep a few times, but somehow, he managed to calm down and sleep comfortably. He dreamed he was back in her arms, in the warm and loving embrace of Lynn.

She was a tomboy, rough and true, but when they were alone, she would only show her girly and more comforting side to him. Taking on both the aspects of a big sister and a lover. When Lincoln finally came to, he realized that he wasn't dreaming, he was being embraced. He was currently lying on his left side, and an olive skinned arm was draped over him.

_Wait…Lynn was light skinned…_

His senses were awakening as he now became aware of a weight behind him, added to that, there were a couple of somethings pressed against his back. Lincoln gulped as he dared to turn his head, part of him was hoping it was someone else, but the thirteen-year-old was fairly certain he knew who it was.

His vision was filled with black, messy locks of hair, and the freckled face of his best friend, Ronne Anne Santiago. Lincoln blushed as his head returned back to its original position, he carefully looked under the covers to make sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was wearing his pants – that was a good sign. He didn't have a shirt on, not too bad.

Lincoln had had sex before with Lynn, they didn't take it too far, but he knew what the feeling of having done the deed and then waking up after felt like, and Lincoln wasn't feeling that. Also, a good thing. Lincoln wasn't sure of Ronnie Anne's attire right now, but he hoped she was wearing all her clothes, but knowing her…

Ronnie Anne began to stir.

_Shit!_

The Latina gave a loud yawn as she pulled back on her arm, rolling Lincoln onto the side at the same time. Now Lincoln could see what she was wearing, and just as he suspected, it was a plain white tank top, and apparently she wasn't wearing a bra either. Ronnie Anne began to open her eyes and Lincoln was starting to sweat.

What would she think if she saw them like this?

"_Lincoln you asshole! I saved your life and you tried to feel me up?!"_

"_Lincoln, you son of a bitch, I hope whatever you did to me last night was worth it! Quetz, tear him apart!"_

"_Lincoln, you dirty boy, I didn't think you liked me like that~"_

Lincoln didn't know which of those scenarios scared him more. Well, he was about to find out as the dark brown eyes of Ronnie Anne opened and looked upon him. Lincoln moved until his back hit the wall, putting up his hands as if he were being robbed.

Ronnie Anne sat up, her bedhead was kind of cute, and from what Lincoln could tell, she was in her underwear.

_CRAP!_ Lincoln thought. "Ronnie Anne, I swear on Lynn's grave, I didn't do _anything _to you last night!"

Ronnie Anne rubbed her eyes as she gave an annoyed look at her bedmate. "No shit Sherlock. We both passed out."

Lincoln blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Ugh, you don't remember? We were all so exhausted after that fight last night, you told me I could bunk in your room. You offered to sleep up in the attic, but I said 'No, I'm not kicking you out of your room'. We were all too tired to argue about it so you and I just shared the bed." Ronnie Anne looked at herself and then to Lincoln. "In case you're wondering, no we did not screw each other, even if we tried, we would've passed out before we got to any part of the good stuff."

Lincoln was still blushing, but he was relieved to hear that he hadn't betrayed Lynn. "Oh thank god…!"

Ronnie Anne raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Wow, would sleeping with me really be that horrible of a thing for you?"

"W-What?! No! That's not what I mean – I mean, you _are _attractive!_ Really _attractive! But, no, that's not what I meant!" Lincoln clarified.

Ronnie Anne feigned hurt as she said, "You know, I do act like a tomboy, but I'm still a girl, and even I feel like being told I'm sexy or cute…"

Lincoln was feeling bad right now. "No, y-you are sexy and cute! I just meant that…that…!" Lincoln stopped as he noticed Ronnie Anne giggling. "Ronnie Anne!"

"Hahahahahaha! Sorry, Lame-O, but it was just the perfect setup!" Ronnie Anne gave a light punch to his arm. "Still, if there was anybody I wouldn't worry about jumping me in the middle of the night, it'd be you."

Lincoln sighed heavily, relieved that Ronnie Anne was not mad at him, and that he didn't do anything to betray Lynn. The snow capped teen sat down more comfortably and looked at Ronnie Anne. It had been a long while since he last saw her, but he had to admit, she had become quite the cute and beautiful young woman. She had a bit of lean muscle, much like his own, but that still didn't take away from her feminine charm.

Ronnie Anne was taking this time to look over her old friend as well. Lincoln wasn't the scrawny little nerd he was before, puberty seemed to finally kick in, giving him some noticeable lean muscle, the baby fat around his face had gone and gave him a slightly more mature look to his face.

"It's good to see you again, Linc."

"I'm happy to see you, Ronnie Anne."

"Buenos días, niños!" At that moment, Quetzalcoatl popped into existence in Lincoln's room, scaring both teens and forcing them to jump. "I thought it best to wake you up before –!" The Aztec goddess stopped and then smirked. "Oh my, perhaps I was interrupting?"

The grate to Lincoln's room opened and out popped Lucy. "I'm sorry, Lincoln, she just left suddenly and I tried to – GASP!"

The sudden scare of Quetz ended up making Ronnie Anne hop, and ended with her landing on his lap, with Lincoln's hands wrapped around her. Lucy looked at this, her pale face turning red as a rose as she looked upon the scene.

"L-Lincoln…brother…w-why are you…?! W-With, _her_?!"

Ronnie Anne and Lincoln finally took notice of their positions and both stated, "THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"

* * *

After a lengthy explanation, the two teams met up in Lucy's attic room. Quetz was sitting next to Ronnie Anne, while Lancelot sat between Lincoln and Lucy, the latter had her arms crossed over her chest, giving the Latina a scrutinizing glare from behind her bangs.

Ronnie Anne could feel Lucy's piercing gaze trying to bore a hole through her skull, and in truth she couldn't blame the ten-year-old. Even though Lincoln trusted her, looking at it from her side, she was the enemy, and neither of them knew exactly why Ronnie Anne had decided to join the Holy Grail War. A part of Ronnie Anne was giddy, eagerly awaiting the moment when she could tell them the reason, which she was more than certain was the exact same one.

Lincoln patted his knees and decided to break the tense silence. "So…Ronnie Anne…I'm just going to address the elephant in the room. Why–?"

"Why are you participating in the Holy Grail War?!" Lucy interrupted.

Ronnie Anne didn't much appreciate the tone in which Lucy asked that question, but she wasn't about to hold it against her. The Latina teen smiled broadly as she said, "The same thing as you two, I'm fighting to bring back Lynn Loud Jr."

Lincoln and Lucy's mouths dropped wide open, their brains seemingly seizing up when Ronnie Anne said what she said.

"H-How did you know…?" Lincoln asked.

A sad smile formed on Ronnie Anne's face as she explained, "It wasn't hard to piece it together when I saw you guys last night. The Holy Grail can grant any wish a person desires, even bringing back someone from the dead, soul and all. I had no doubt in my mind last night that that's why you were out there, why you're fighting."

Lucy shook herself out of her stupor. "How do we know that's not just some convenient cover! Why would you want to fight to bring back someone else if you could have anything you wanted?!"

Ronnie Anne sighed. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not as selfish as some people think I am or appear to be."

"That's true," Lincoln commented.

It was true, after the whole "Egg Baby Project", Lincoln saw a whole different side to Ronnie Anne, she wasn't just some rough, tomboy, extreme skater, she was also nurturing, kind, loving, and thoughtful. Ronnie Anne put on the façade of a tough person, but deep down she was just as tough but also a nice person.

"Look, I knew Lincoln was hurting, all of you were hurting. Lori and Bobby are more than likely going to get married one day, and that makes you guys family, and we don't turn our back on familia. When I found out there was a chance I could bring back part of that family, I jumped on it," said Ronnie Anne.

"Sí, it's true, this little Chica here's strong feelings to help her dear friend are what called me to this world," said Quetz as she ruffled Ronnie Anne's hair.

"Quetz, stop it, you're embarrassing me!"

Lancelot smiled upon hearing this. "This is wonderful news, Lincoln, it seems we have been granted an ally in our quest."

For his part, Lincoln was speechless, out of all the things he imagined would happen during this War, gaining an ally in his childhood friend, and who was working towards the same wish as him, was something he never expected. Now it seemed that wishing back Lynn wasn't as hard as it was going to be. They'd definitely have the advantage against any Servant and Master, with Ronnie Anne's Rider and their Lancelot, they could easily overcome any obstacle.

Although, Lincoln's smile was small, because they didn't know the real reason why they were fighting to bring back Lynn, not just to make their family whole again, but also because Lincoln wanted his lover back. The snow capped teen glanced to his Saber, remembering a conversation he had with Lucy.

"_What do you mean you won't want to tell him, Lincoln?"_

"_Look, Lancelot's a noble knight of the Round Table! What do you think he'll think of me, his Master, if he knew the real reason why I want to bring my sister back to life just so I can continue my forbidden relationship with her!"_

"_That's not the only reason why you're bringing her back."_

"_I know, but that's the one reason he'll latch onto! If Lancelot decides to not fight for us anymore, we're done! We'll have lost our only shot! I may have the Command Seals, but I don't want to use them up for something like that. So…please just keep this part a secret."_

Lincoln chuckled internally at the circumstances. _And now I have to lie to Ronnie Anne about my reasons…_

Ronnie Anne noticed the sad smile on her friend's face and asked, "Hey, Linc, are you okay?"

Lincoln snapped himself out of his thoughts and nodded, smiling more earnestly this time. "Yeah, sorry, it's just I never thought things would end up like this, you fighting for the same thing we are."

Ronnie Anne reached across and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Believe it, 'cause now you guys have us." She then looked to Lucy and frowned a little. "If the Duchess of Darkness over there doesn't curse me first."

Lincoln looked to his left and saw that Lucy was still giving Ronnie Anne the stink eye, much to his disappointment. "Luce, cut it out, Ronnie Anne's on our side."

Lucy was still skeptical of this whole thing, it seemed like an amazing coincidence that Ronnie Anne came to their rescue, and just so happens to want to wish for the same thing they do. Well, relatively speaking, Lincoln was doing it to bring back his lover and make their family whole again, Lucy wanted her best friend back, and her family to be unbroken. Ronnie Anne…even if she wanted do this to bring back Lynn for the sake of family, Lucy doubted that the Latina knew the real reason why Lincoln was in such pain over her death, or the second reason why he wanted her back.

That was the thing that made her weary of this team up, the moment that Ronnie Anne found out that Lincoln was in love with Lynn, Lucy knew that Ronnie Anne would end their alliance. Lucy understood their love, in more ways than one, but there was no way an outsider would understand, no, she'd definitely condemn him and probably order Rider to kill him and her to prevent them from having their wish granted.

All kinds of thoughts were entering the raven haired girl's head, all of them of scenarios where Ronnie Anne would betray them in a crucial moment, that the girl her brother believed to be his friend would end up finding out about his secret and backstab them the moment the last opposing Servant and Master was vanquished. All of these thoughts swarmed her, made her heart race with worry and anxiety. Yes, this was a fight to the death, alliances were fickle things. The best thing to do was to just end Ronnie Anne before–

"Lady Lucy," Lancelot spoke as he gently placed his hand upon her shoulder. The action snapped Lucy out of her downward spiral, forcing her to look up at the Knight of the Lake. "I think it's wise to have Lady Ronnie Anne and Rider join our battle. While I am confident in my abilities, having another team to coordinate and fight alongside will go a long way towards our victory."

Lancelot did make sense, yes, Ronnie Anne and her Servant would grant them a higher chance of winning this War, but there was one question that needed answering before Lucy could even start to consider trusting her.

"I need to know, when the last of our enemies is defeated, and there's only the two of us left standing…what will you do?" Lucy asked with all due seriousness.

Ronnie Anne looked to Quetz for a moment. That was a good question, both of them had the same goal, the same wish, did it matter which one of them was left standing? No, it did, it went towards how much the two Loud siblings could trust Ronnie Anne in this fight.

"My I say something?" Quetz asked.

Ronnie Anne nodded.

"In all honesty, little girl, I wouldn't mind trading blows with Saber here. After the impressive fighting skills he displayed, I have no doubt that he'd be a very fun battle," said Quetz with a shark toothed grin.

Lancelot grinned confidently at Quetz and said, "I wholeheartedly agree, your fighting technique is interesting, and one that I wouldn't mind exchanging blows with."

Quetz chuckled happily. "But, I can only speak for myself, if – no – _when _we are the last two standing. I would like to at least have a friendly match between us. However, if Ronnie Anne says so, I will dissolve our pact and bow out gracefully."

"Rider…you'd do that?" Ronnie Anne asked.

The Aztec goddess nodded.

Lucy glanced between the her brother and the girl before her, she could tell that her brother really wanted her to trust Ronnie Anne as much as he did, and in truth, she kind of wanted to. Having another Master and Servant on their side would dramatically increase their chances of winning the Holy Grail, but…

"If Lincoln trusts you…then I will, but I reserve the right to remain skeptical," said Lucy.

"Lucy," Lincoln began with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"It's fine," Ronnie Anne interrupted. "It's her choice Linc, and honestly that's probably the best I can ask for right now."

"With, that being said, I think we should exchange the true names of our Servants, it's only fair," said Lucy.

Ronnie Anne and Lincoln took a moment to think about this. Revealing the true name of a Servant was valuable information, it could easily give an enemy the edge they needed to win. Since, whatever killed the Heroic Spirit in life, they were still susceptible to it even now. However, if they were forming an alliance, then it was only fair, plus, it would help them cover for the weaknesses – if any – of their partners during the coming battles.

"I have no problem giving my name," said Quetz.

"Neither do I, if it is alright with you, Lincoln," said Lancelot.

Ronnie Anne and Lincoln looked at each other, taking their Servant's words they nodded.

"Saber's name is Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, and Knight of the Round Table," said Lincoln.

Quetz whistled, impressed that a young mage could summon a renowned Heroic Spirit like him. Ronnie Anne was impressed as well, she knew of the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but she never thought she'd get to meet one of _the _actual knights.

"Damn…that's cool!" Ronnie Anne exclaimed with sincerity.

Lucy crossed her arms and said, "Now it's your turn."

Ronnie Anne stood up and proudly announced. "Louds, Rider's name is Quetzalcoatl!"

Lucy's jaw practically smashed through the floor when she heard that name. Quetzalcoatl, the Winged Serpent god of the Aztecs. The Ruler of the Sun, Ruler of the Morning Star, and of the storms and winds. _No wonder she fought so strongly, she's not a Heroic Spirit, she's a Divine Spirit!_ Lucy looked back to Ronnie Anne with shock. _H-How did she summon such a powerful god as a Servant?!_ _We're screwed, Lancelot has no anti-divine Noble Phantasms, if they fought…No, wait, if Lancelot could get ahold of one of her Noble Phantasms then he could turn it against her…that's big if though._

Lincoln blinked for a few seconds as she looked from Ronnie Anne and back to Quetz. "Sorry, who?"

Lucy and Ronnie Anne both felt like they got sucker punched from hearing Lincoln utter that line.

"Are you kidding?! Quetzalcoatl is a deity!" Lucy stated.

"She's the god of the sun!" Ronnie Anne continued.

"Ruler of Venus!"

"She's a Divine Spirit!" The two girls ended together.

Quetz was chuckling at their reactions to Lincoln's obliviousness of her legend, and it wasn't like she could blame the young boy. Not many people delve into ancient mythology, some only have passing knowledge mainstream myths such as those of the Greeks, Romans, Vikings, and some of the Egyptian myths. So Quetz didn't hold it against him, but again, she did find it funny how Ronnie Anne and Lucy reacted. However, she did take in Lancelot's reaction, he actually smirked.

"I hope knowing that I am a god doesn't dissuade you from possibly battling me later down the line?" Quetz asked.

"Not at all, in fact, it makes it more interesting. I've faced many creatures and powerful beings, but a god is a new challenge, and one that a knight would be foolish to back down from," Lancelot answered.

Quetz smirk grew. "We're going to be best friends you and I!"

Meanwhile, Lincoln was still trying to get Lucy and Ronnie Anne to back off him a little, apologizing for being so uncultured in the ancient legends. Just then, everyone stopped when they saw the door to the attic drop down. The sound of footsteps rushing up the ladder alerted them, but it was too late.

"Linc, Luce, you two alright?! Please be up here, I knocked out waiting up but–!" Luna stopped when she saw not just her brother, sister, and Lancelot but also Ronnie Anne and a – admittedly hot looking – blonde woman sitting with them. "Uh…what the hell is going on here?"

* * *

Luna was glad that her little brother and sister had made it back in one piece this morning, however, what she didn't expect was to see Ronnie Anne there as well. When she asked why Ronnie Anne was there, Lincoln and Lucy explained that she was in fact a Master, like them.

The rocker of the family didn't know exactly how to take this. First her brother and sister tell her that they were going to fight in a death match to bring back their dead sibling, then come to find out that they almost did die last night, but then were saved by Ronnie Anne, who was also now a part of this craziness and was fighting for the same reason they were.

Luna needed to get out of the house, thankfully she had band practice today, so Sam came over and picked her up. The two seventeen-year-olds headed to the music hall, over the years, despite the death of her little sister, Luna had continued to pursue her love of music, forming a band that consisted of herself, Sam, and Molly.

They had gone through several names in a big brainstorm before finally settling on a name, _SML Girls_, using the first little of each of their names. Their band had a gig tonight and Luna needed to do something to get her mind off of those whole thing.

But, even as she tuned her guitar, Luna couldn't help but still worry about her siblings. She had no doubts that they were already out there, probably roaming around the town to look for another of these Master/Servant teams to take down. That also presented another fear to Luna, there were currently at least five other teams in their town, each of which probably had no qualms with killing innocent people, or using hostages to get what they wanted.

*twang.*

"Bloody hell!" Luna cursed as she realized she tightened the string too much and caused it snap.

Sam walked over to her girlfriend and asked, "Hey, babe, you alright?"

Luna put her guitar down and placed her face into her hands as she sighed heavily. "No…not in the least bit…"

Sam sat next to Luna and rubbed her back soothingly. "Maybe we should cancel the gig tonight, you looked really stressed. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Luna shook her head in the negative. "No, I kinda need this. There's just stuff goin' on at home."

"Is it about Lincoln and Lucy, again?"

"It _involves _them, yes."

"Did they ever tell you what was up with that whole thing in the woods?" Sam asked, remembering that tense night.

Luna put on a fake smile and said, "Oh, that, they were just doing some paranormal investigations stuff. You know how Linc loves that 'ARRGH!' show, and Lucy's all into the occult, so the two of them tried do hunt down some ghosts."

The blonde girl raised an eyebrow. "Luna, that was a stretch, even for you. Not that that's unlikely, but with all the seriousness and the looks on you and your kid brother and sister's faces, a lot more happened then you're telling me."

How could Luna tell her? Hell, even she hadn't full grasped it all, not even after seeing what she had already. How exactly was one supposed to tell their romantic partner that their town was ground zero for an epic war over a wish granting cup?

"Sorry, babe, but there's a just a lot of drama goin' on that I'm trying to figure out myself," said Luna.

Sam sighed but then gave her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. "Just don't keep it bottled up inside too long, you know I'm here to help you. Whether it's to complain to or to comfort."

Luna smiled, she really didn't deserve her. "I know, and thanks. C'mon, let's practice."

The girl band trio hit the stage and began going through some of their songs, while they were doing so, neither of them noticed that they had an audience in the seats. That man was Torek Iselam, the theater was owned by his family, one of many little contributions they've made here and there. Despite the lyrics of the song he was hearing, the voice of the lead singer was absolutely filled with passion and raw emotion, it was actually quite beautiful. And judging by the distortion behind him, someone else was enjoying the singer's voice just as much.

"Keep it together, Assassin," said Torek.

"_I know, I know~  
But she sounds so beautiful,  
So crystal clear~  
How could anyone not be moved to tears~" _Assassin sang.

Torek nodded. "I understand, and truly, she is a beauty, a diamond in the rough."

"_Please allow me to mold her~  
To bring her to the peak,  
To sing so lovely that angels dare not speak~"_

"We'll see, don't forget, what we're here for though, our true goal. Only then will your true wish be granted."

"_Oh my Christine~"_

* * *

Rosso had found an old building to set up her workshop. It was irritating to be in such a small town, the number of ingredients she needed to make her Etherlite was hard to find, but not impossible. Although, she would admit that the job would go a lot faster if her Servant wasn't a cackling clown.

"Would you please, shut up, Caster!"

Caster, her Heroic Spirit, the Servant that was called by the Holy Grail in answer to her summons, was a man about in his late to mid-twenties. He was pale white all over, wore an ornate black top hat, a blue jacket with a feathered cape, a red vest underneath the coat, green shorts, and purple stockings and black loafer shoes. His workshop was set up a few feet from where Rosso was, it was littered with mechanical parts, machines that resembled spiders, and pages that had words written in a different language. The man wore a bit of purple makeup that was done to make him look like a creepy clown.

"Oh, only until I don't find this funny, which won't be for a while!" Caster mocked.

Rosso wanted to use her Command Spell to force the madman to cease his laughter, but since she only had three of them, and given that Caster was unpredictable, they were better saved for a more crucial time. For instance, if he tried to kill her.

"Tell me, oh demon, what is it about my situation do you find funny?" Rosso dared ask.

Caster hopped over to where Rosso was working on her Etherlite and smiled wickedly. "Where do I begin? You lost everything, your home, fortune, your family, and have been forced to live on burrowed time with each body you inhabit. You've switched so many times that you don't even remember if you were a originally a boy or a girl."

"A body is just a husk, so long as my spirit and thoughts remain, it doesn't matter," said Rosso.

"All just to seek revenge on the Mage Society, the ones who ostracized you, made you into monsters. On a level I sympathize with that."

Rosso glanced at the mad clown, not sure if this being was ever able to feel sympathy for any creature, let alone another person. "So my life amuses you, but at the end of this, I'll have the last laugh over all of them."

"You know, I was wondering, why not forget the Holy Grail. If all you wanted to do was kill the mage families responsible for your family's slaughter, we could make a little trip to see them?" Caster suggested.

Rosso scoffed at the idea. "There's no guarantee that they'd be where I'd need them to be, even with your abilities. Second: winning the Holy Grail War, and making the wish will ensure that they are all done away with at the same time, as well as all their heirs."

Caster smiled evilly at his Master, he wasn't sure if they were going to be a good fit, but Caster supposed that he could indulge in his Master's whims, if for nothing else than to see where this little tragedy of a play ends.

"Regarding the battle last night, I suggest we take out Saber first."

Caster scowled at the mention of that Servant. There was something about him that he disliked. Perhaps it was because he looked so knightly, and fought so earnestly that it made him sick.

"Saber was able to turn Archer's own weapon against him just by grabbing it, whether that was a one off ability or something that he can do consistently is still unknown. What we do know, is that we can't directly attack him, or risk your Noble Phantasm being turned against you."

Caster cupped his chin as he thought about it. "Well, that would bee an annoying hindrance. What do you propose then?"

"Find out who that Master is, determine his weak points, and then kill him," said Rosso.

"I'm starting to think you'd have been better off with an Assassin rather than a Caster like myself.

Rosso tinkered with her bracelets, weaving together the Etherlite as she contemplated Caster's question. True, an Assassin would've been ideal. That Servant class didn't have that many strong Servants though, those that are strong enough to take on more high level Heroic Spirits were few and are difficult to summon, for Rosso, she needed one skilled in magecraft as she was, and had the same mentality as an Assassin.

"No, despite your eccentricities, you're the best match for my style of fighting," Rosso answered.

Caster smiled more broadly as he took off his top hat and bowed to Rosso. "Well then, please make this an entertaining War, my Master."

* * *

Earlier that day, Lucy had used a powder that she concocted to help influence the residents of the Loud House, thanks to that, and Lincoln's silver tongue, they were able to convince the rest of the sisters, and their parents, that having Ronnie Anne and Quetz over was planned, they also introduced Lancelot as "Lance" to the family as well.

Needless to say, Lynn Sr. had no objections to having Lance around, being a fan of all things British. Of course, his looks did earn him a loving glance from the rest of the Loud sisters, Luan, Lola, Lana, and even Lisa.

With that established, the two Servants could appear in and out of the house without having to hide in spirit form all the time. That being said, Lincoln decided to take a walk, partly to see if he could get a beat on the other Masters and Servants, and secondly because he needed some time to think about everything that happened this morning and last night.

Lincoln walked down his sidewalk, going in no particular direction. Beside him was Lancelot, having been given some normal clothes to wear, which consisted of a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and some brown loafers. The whole time they walked, Lancelot couldn't help but regard his Master with a little bit of worry, he could feel that Lincoln had something on his mind, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"Are you troubled by Lady Ronnie Anne's appearance?" Lancelot asked.

Lincoln sighed. "Not really…I'm actually happy to have someone like her helping us out. One last enemy, and one step closer to getting Lynn back." Lincoln glanced up at his Saber and asked, "Do you think it's selfish of me to wish for something like this? To wish back someone to life instead of using the Grail's power to do something more noble?"

Lancelot crossed his arms and gave his Master a kind smile. "Tell me, Lincoln, what would be a more noble wish to you?"

"I…I don't know? World peace? End global warming? End starvation? End all racism and bigotry in the world?!" Lincoln tossed out.

"Well, those would be noble wishes, but why isn't wishing back someone whom you loved and whose life was unfairly cut short not just as noble as that?" Lancelot asked.

Lincoln's guilt was building under the gaze of Lancelot, making him feel less worthy of being the Master of a noble knight of the Round Table. "Because the only person it'll affect is me! It's not like Lynn's supposed to be the savior of the world or something like that!"

"How do you know that?"

"What?"

Lancelot stopped walking and stood there with Lincoln at his side. "Every life plays a part in the grand scheme of things. No one can see the measure of that life until it's at its end, so who's to say that your sister wasn't meant to do something extraordinarily important down the line? Whatever it is, small or great, _every _life impacts the world in one way or another. If she was meant to come back and cause a ripple in the world to lead something greater, well, only time tell. But first we must wish her back."

Lincoln smiled as the tension left him, at least a little. Lancelot had a point, there was no telling what Lynn could've become down the line, hell, there was no telling if their relationship would continue, but even if that were true, Lincoln wanted it to last as long as possible, he wanted her back to live her life, with or without him.

"Thanks, Lance," said Lincoln.

"Of course." Just then, Lancelot's body tensed as he looked straight ahead. "Lincoln, be on guard, I sense a Servant nearby."

Lincoln looked in the same direction as his partner, his hand hovering over the deck of enchanted playing cards in his holster. When he did look straight ahead, he was puzzled. Among the many people walking by, there was only one that Lincoln definitively knew, Carol Pingrey.

The young woman was almost a dead ringer for Lori if you weren't paying attention, it was one of the reasons Lincoln wanted her to play Lori for that family photo thing he tried to do back in the day. But as far as he knew, Carol was supposed to be on a trip or something in Europe, why was she here?

_Wait, Lancelot said he sensed a Servant. Does…Does that mean…?_

Carol stopped just a couple of feet before him, her gaze was one of reluctance, but she managed to put on a small smile for him. "H-Hey, Lincoln, long time no see."

"Y-Yeah, long time no see." Lincoln eased up a bit. "If you're here to see Lori, she's still in Great Lakes City with Bobby, she visits once in a while, but I don't think she's due back for a couple of weeks."

Carol shook her head. "That's fine, I really wasn't here for her." The young blonde glanced to her right and saw the tall man next to Lincoln. "Who's your friend?"

Lincoln stammered for a second and said, "Oh, this is Lance! Lance, this is a friend of my sister's, Carol Pingrey."

Lancelot forwent his alert demeanor, taking Carol's left hand gently, he then kissed the top of it and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Carol."

Carol blushed a little. "Lincoln, you didn't say he was so polite and charming."

Lincoln rolled his eyes, Lincoln understood that it was just his chivalrous nature and politeness, but it was still annoying when he did it to his sisters or his friends who were girls.

"Lance, could that be short for…Lancelot?" Carol asked, her tone having the telltale signs of knowing.

Lancelot pulled back and Lincoln's body tensed up.

"I'd like to talk to you two, actually, there's someone else who'd like to see you as well, Lancelot," said Carol.

Lincoln narrowed his gaze an d asked, "When you say 'talk', do you mean talk, or…_talk_."

"The former, not the latter."

Lincoln glanced to Lancelot, he wasn't an experienced fighter, so in these cases he defaulted to Lancelot's judgement. Lancelot took a moment to assess Carol, she had openly affirmed she was a Master, and so far, the Masters of Lancer, Assassin, Caster, and Archer were unknown to them. If this Carol was the Master of Archer, then they could be in trouble.

"Very well, but allow us to pick the location," said Lancelot.

"If I may make a suggestion, there's a church not too far from here where we can talk," said Carol.

Lincoln cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Why a church?"

"Churches are neutral ground, no battles are to take place on their properties. Since they are controlled by the Holy Church Organization, all mages are forbidden to conduct battle once there," Carol explained.

Lincoln didn't know much about mage society, so, unfortunately, all he had to go on was Carol's words and the small amount of trust he had for her through Lori.

"Lead the way."

Carol did, Lancelot was on high alert the whole way, his hand giving off a very faint glow, showing that he was ready to draw his weapon at any time should Carol or her Servant attack them. It was about a ten minute walk before they arrived at the church. Lincoln had passed by it several times with his family, while they did believe in God, some of them anyway. Admittedly they didn't attend services as much as they probably would've liked.

The church itself was a fairly old one, with a gothic design much like the churches in Europe. Gargoyles were placed at different parts of the turrets and overlooked some of the doorways. All three entered the church and saw a pastor at his alter, Carol nodded to the pastor and raised her right, showing him the Command Seals.

The pastor nodded and left the room, it was empty, with stain glass windows pouring in multicolored light from the suns rays. Carol, Lincoln, and Lancelot stood in the aisle, both staring each other down.

"Okay, you wanted to talk, so let's talk," said Lincoln.

Carol nodded. "Lancer, you can come out now."

Wispy strands of magical energy swirled around Carol's left. Little by little, the particles peeled back, revealing the Servant who had remained invisible up till now. She wore green pants and brown shoes, and a white blouse. Her blonde hair was cut short, and her green eyes stared directly at Lancelot.

Lancelot's eyes widened upon seeing this Servant, he knew her, he knew her very well. "Gareth…"

"It's been many years, Sir Lancelot, many years since Camelot…" Gareth spoke remorsefully.

Lincoln looked between the two Servants, he didn't know who this Servant was, but it was obvious that he knew her, she even said Camelot so she was from the same land as him. "Lancelot, who is she?"

Lancelot sighed. "This…is Sir Gareth, a fellow Knight of the Round Table."

"Wait, 'Sir Gareth'?" Lincoln didn't know that much about honorifics, but he knew enough through his dad and Luna that if a man was knighted they were awarded the title of "Sir" and if a woman was knighted it was "Dame", unless there was something about Gareth that he wasn't aware of. "Um…I…So…"

Carol smirked a little and asked, "Would like to check for yourself to see if she's a he?"

"M-M-Master!" Gareth blanched as she covered her chest and groin with her arms as if Lincoln would immediately pounce, she then shot Lincoln a death glare. "If you even think about doing that, I'll skewer you with my spear! Neutrality be damned!"

"Not if I use a Command Spell and make you comply," said Carol teasingly.

Gareth looked to her Master with a crimson blush on her face. "Master C-Carol, please don't!"

Lincoln put up his hands and shook them and his head dismissively. "No, no, that's fine! I don't need to do that at all! I can clearly see she's a girl!"

Gareth looked at the young boy and sighed, she feared that a Master of Lancelot would be a lecherous person and wouldn't think twice about forcing himself onto another woman. It was partly why she was against meeting up with Lancelot and his Master. However, now that she looked upon the thirteen-year-old, her opinion changed a little.

"Well, I guess your Master is more honorable than I thought, unlike some people I know," said Gareth as her gaze rested on Lancelot.

Lancelot said nothing as he stood there, making Lincoln wonder why he was taking that from her, even if she was a fellow knight of Camelot, they were comrades once, why such animosity?

"Please, Gareth, we're here to talk, not to fight." Gareth sighed heavily and then got into one of the pews and sat indignantly, refusing to look at Lancelot right now. "Please forgive her, she's a little…testy."

"It's fine, but what did you want to talk about?" Lincoln asked.

"Simply, Lincoln, I want you to give up on the Grail."

Lincoln crossed his arms and stared down Carol. "Sorry, that's not happening."

"Lincoln, please, I don't know what you're in this for, but it cannot be worth more than losing your life!" Carol pleaded. "You have a family, four older sisters who love you, and four younger ones who look up to you and need you there for them! I came here as a friend to you and to Lori, please stop now while you can."

Lincoln closed his eyes. "The wish I want granted is worth my life. A life for a life, I'm fighting to bring back my sister, Lynn!"

Carol paused, her eyes widening, at the same time Gareth glanced over her shoulder with interest.

"We lost her, and things haven't been the same since. Fate made a mistake that day, Carol, _I _was supposed to die!" He took a step forward, his step echoing in the tall ceiling of the cathedral. "But Lynn saved me and she lost her life because of _me_! I _will_ bring her back!"

Carol didn't think that was his wish, she thought it might've been something petty, or some loftier goal, but no, it was something that even she couldn't deny. At least under normal circumstances.

Gareth, for her part, was moved a little. This young boy was willing to risk his own life to bring back his own kin, willing to wage war against others to see that wish come true. In some ways it reminded her of Lancelot, but it also had the same nobility as her King Artoria.

"Lincoln…" Carol whispered.

"Look…I don't know what wish you have for the Grail, but I have my wish too. But that doesn't mean that we have to be enemies. I'm pretty sure you were there, so you saw Berserker and Archer, they're really dangerous, and you probably know that Ronnie Anne's a Master too, right?"

"That young Hispanic girl? Yes, I do."

"She's fighting for the same reason I am."

Carol shook her head in disbelief, another Master was fighting for the same wish as Lincoln? And they were friends?

"Her Rider is strong, the four of us are fighting together. But if you fight with us, then we can put the odds in our favor, why not work with us?" Lincoln suggested.

Carol sighed. "And then what? When we're all three the last Masters standing, we'll have to fight each other. And let's be honest, Lincoln, if we manage to beat you and Lancelot, then your friend will just finish Gareth off. My wish and yours don't align, no matter what, I'll end up losing."

Lincoln couldn't deny that, it was a bit unfair. With only two out of the three having the same goal, Carol had no chance of winning. Sure, they'd all three make an unstoppable trio, but in the end, if Lancelot and Quetzalcoatl tag teamed Gareth, she wouldn't stand a chance against their combined might. And when those two were the last ones standing, whoever won, Lincoln would still get his wish.

"What is your wish, Lady Carol?" Lancelot asked.

Gareth had a pained expression on her face, at same time, Carol mirrored that expression as she clutched at her right arm. "It really isn't _my _wish…but still, it's not something I'm ready to tell you. Let's go Gareth."

Gareth nodded and stood up as she and Carol began to walk away. The two women stopped at the door and Carol turned around to look directly at Lincoln. "For now, Lincoln, I'm not your enemy, but I'm not your ally either. My focus will be the other Masters, I do agree that Berserker and Archer are dangerous and need to be dealt with first, that much we can agree on. But I wouldn't overlook Caster or Assassin. They were watching the battle too, so be weary."

"Thanks."

Gareth turned around as well and held out her fist towards Lancelot. "Lancelot, know that I will not be holding back when we battle. Unlike that time, I won't fall so easily!"

Lancelot grimaced, but he nodded.

Once they were gone, both released a breath that neither knew that they were holding, and took a seat in opposite pews. Lincoln was tempted to ask why Gareth had such disdain in her eyes for the Knight of the Lake, they were both Knights of the Round Table, they fought countless battles together, bonds forged in battle and built on respect, that was the way of Camelot of legend, so why the look of regret on Lancelot's face.

_Well, technically, I could find out what happened…an online search of the legend would tell me everything. _

Somehow though, Lincoln didn't like the idea of doing that. Whatever was going on between Lancelot and Gareth stemmed from their past, and Lincoln didn't want to feel like he was intruding on his privacy. If Lancelot thought it was important, then Lincoln would wait for him to bring it up.

Lincoln stood up from his seat and patted Lancelot on the shoulder. "Hey, let's get some ice cream, my treat?"

Lancelot smiled and said, "That sounds good. But, um, what is 'ice cream'?"

"Oh boy, you're going to love it."


	6. Can you hear the music?

**A/N: Thought this story was dead didn't ya? Well think again! **

**Sorry for the long wait dudes and dudettes, but such is what happens when I now have 4 ongoing stories. I have no one to blame but myself, but I am trying to update as much as possible. With that said, enjoy the show!**

* * *

Lincoln and Lynn were home alone one Saturday evening, their family had something that they were doing and they were the only two left behind. It wasn't bad though, they had been steadily growing closer to each other, neither of them could really place how or why, but it just seemed right.

Tonight, Lincoln and Lynn were situated in the former's bedroom. Lincoln had his laptop on his desk, opened to an anime that he was probably not old enough to watch but watched it anyway. Lynn decided to sit in and watch as well, not having much else to do other than kick a ball around or bounce one off the walls. Well, that, and because her parents grounded her because she kicked one of her soccer balls in the house and broke a few things.

So with no balls to play with, she found herself looking for entertainment elsewhere. And, honestly, she could think of less fun ways to spend her Saturday night.

"So, what are we watching again?" Lynn asked.

She was lying in his bed, both of them had their backs against the wall. She was dressed in one of her oversized jerseys with red boxers on, Lincoln had opted to just where his underwear, because why not? It was his house, and it was only Lynn.

"Mirai Nikki, translated it means 'Future Diary'," Lincoln answered.

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "'Future Diary'? This better not be some girly ass thing about love or whatever."

"Oh trust me, it _definitely _isn't from what I've heard."

About ten minutes into the first episode, Lynn was already looking at the show with eyes filled with scrutiny. The "god of time" Deus, and his little assistant Murmur. Twenty minutes in, and Lynn's intrigued was peaked with the announcement of a survival game. About three episodes in, Lynn's full attention was on it.

"Damn this show's brutal, and that chick's straight up insane," said Lynn. "But I respect her skills."

"Yeah," Lincoln commented.

A few more episodes passed, some of which had some pretty risqué scenes that made Lincoln blush. Something of which Lynn couldn't help but tease him about. "Don't pop a boner on me Stinkoln. I get that the chick with big fun bags is hot and all, but at least use a pillow."

Lincoln turned his body away and stammered a, "S-Shut up!"

"Eh, whatever, so long as you don't start jerking off I'm cool with it."

Now it was Lincoln's turn. "Sorry to disappoint you, I know you were looking forward to it."

Lynn sputtered as her freckled face became red. "I-I didn't mean it like that!"

"I don't know, I mean, you immediately saw my bulge, one might think you were actively looking at it," Lincoln accused as he gave his sister a devilish grin.

Lynn crossed her arms defiantly over her chest as she focused her gaze on the show before them. "NO! It's a small room you dork, and you're lying right next to me, of course I'm going to see _it_!"

"Oh, right, like your nips poking through your shirt?"

Lynn looked down and raised her arms up higher to hide the fact that they were stiff. "S-Shut up!"

A couple of more episodes passed, the air in the room had become awkward to a point. The right thing to do was to probably call it a night, have Lynn leave the room, but it seemed fate had other plans since Lynn didn't leave, and Lincoln couldn't help but steal glances at his fourteen-year-old big sister.

His eyes started to trace the curvature of her body, she was toned, both her arms and legs had tan lines from all the time she spent playing in the sun. She often said it was unfair that guys could workout topless and get a more even tan, and that if she did that someone would call the police on her and or say she was an exhibitionist. Which wasn't totally wrong, that would indeed happen.

His eyes then followed up from her legs to her hips, then her back. Lynn had let her arms rest against her stomach, allowing Lincoln to see the outline of her chest. He gulped, he knew this was wrong, he knew he shouldn't be looking at her like this. It was the anime, yeah, the risqué nature and their current choice of night garb was just making him think weird thoughts.

Unfortunately he couldn't blame the anime, nor their current nightwear, for the growing anxiety he felt in his chest. Lincoln enjoyed the closeness he had with Lynn, compared to the rest of their sisters, the age gap between them wasn't as huge as with Lori, Leni, Luna, and Luan, just a measly two years.

For Lynn Loud, she was feeling the same way. She knew that Lincoln was checking her out, the rational part of her brain told her to slap Lincoln across the face and tell him to stop doing that, but a larger part of her relished the fact that he was.

Lynn never saw herself as "hot" or "attractive". She dedicated almost all her time to sports and the pursuit of excelling in whatever sport she wanted to take on next. But, sometimes, the self-conscious part of herself would force her to stand in front of a mirror and take stock of her body. Yeah, she was toned, her defined abs were something to be proud of, she had a slight curve to her hips, but nothing like what Luan and Luna had, her breasts were small, if she had to rank herself she was smallest right behind Luna, and that was being generous.

She always said, "So what?" It wasn't like there was a guy she was looking to impress. She did like one guy, but he never returned her affection. _That probably had something to do with the fact that I shot my lucky jock in his face…heh. _Maybe it was because no one really showed interest in her body that she was allowing Lincoln to look at hers.

That was a good theory, but Lynn knew it was much more than needing to feel beautiful. And that scared her, she was the older sibling here, she needed to put her foot down and tell Lincoln that this wasn't good and that they needed to nip it in the bud.

_Well…we're alone…in his room. Probably the best place to get this out of the way._

Lynn sighed and said, "Linc, I know you're checking me out."

Lincoln froze as his eye darted back to the screen. "N-No I'm not!"

"Linc, it's okay, I'm not mad. Just be honest with me, sib to sib, were you?" Lynn asked as she turned her head in his direction.

Lincoln turned his head, he looked in her brown eyes and nodded. "Yes…I'm sorry…"

She hated hearing that tone of shame and hurt in his voice. She reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I said it's alright, I'm not mad. I, uh…I'm kind of glad that a boy would be interested in looking at me."

Lincoln gave his sister a confused look. "What? Why wouldn't a boy think you're attractive?"

Lynn pulled away and sat on her knees. "Look at me, Linc, I'm not stacked like Lori or Leni, hell, even Luan and Luna have more going on than I do!"

"Lynn, sorry, but that's bullshit, you're great!"

"Oh right, what boy's going to want to feel up _this _washboard?" Lynn asked as she gestured to her chest.

Lincoln hated hearing any of his sisters question their own self-worth. His strange feelings for Lynn aside, he thought all his sisters were beautiful – objectively speaking – both in body, mind, and spirit, and hearing anyone, much less them, put themselves down like that really pissed him off. Which probably led to him saying something that he probably shouldn't have.

"I would!" Lincoln blurted out.

Lynn's face went red at the same time as Lincoln's. For a long minute silence hung heavily in the room. Neither sibling willing to look up at each other as they suddenly found the space separating the two of them very interesting to look at right now.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Lynn broke the silence. "Would you…Would you like to touch 'em?"

Lincoln shook his head, he must've misheard her. "W-What?"

Lynn was feeling really timid, she didn't like it, but at the same time, she didn't mind looking like that in front of her brother. "I'm asking you want to touch my boobs you dork?!"

Lincoln stared dumbly at Lynn.

"Look, I've been feeling weird around you, and I know you have too! I'm pretty sure I know what these feelings are, but we can't indulge in them," said Lynn.

Lincoln didn't want to admit it, for fear of giving what he was feeling for Lynn a name, but it seemed that Lynn was feeling the same thing, something that both excited him and terrified him. "W-What do you suggest?"

"We still have some time before everyone gets home…let's just see where things go…"

"H-How…?" Lincoln dared to ask.

Lynn's blush persisted, and she was starting to doubt her line of thinking. But Lynn Loud Jr. never backed away from what she put her mind to. Slowly, Lynn scooted closer to Lincoln, his back pressed against the wall like a cornered animal. Lynn then straddled Lincoln's waist, lowering until she was practically sitting in his lap.

Lincoln froze, his heart slamming in his chest as he looked upon Lynn. He tried to fight the growing erection in his underwear, trying to make this less awkward than it already was. But he couldn't, and it happened. Lynn definitely noticed, feeling something pushing against her center sending tiny crackles of electricity up her spine.

"T-That a roll of Mentos or are you just happy to have a girl in your lap?" Lynn asked with her cocky grin.

Lincoln turned away and said, "S-Shut up, Lynn!"

Deciding not to prolong this, Lynn reached for the him of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head, tossing it to the side. Lincoln gulped, hard. Lynn covered her chest out of reflex, her blush intensifying now that she was half naked before her little brother. She knew she had to move her hands away, but the self-conscious part of her feared that her brother would be disappointed by what he'd see.

Biting the bullet, Lynn let her hands rest at her side and awaited the judgement of her little brother. "So…they're not that great, right?"

Lincoln just stared at her chest for a long moment, her perky, budding breasts, her pink, erect nipples, and the freckles that dotted her shoulders.

"S-Say something, Stinkoln!" Lynn demanded.

Lincoln reached forward and gently took one boob in each of his hands, making Lynn release an involuntary moan. "I think they're amazing."

"D-Don't sugarcoat it, just be honest!"

Lincoln was saddened by his sister's lack of confidence in her own body. She always walked around loud and proud of her athletic build, strength, and speed, never afraid of getting into a fight or roughhousing with other boys. Now, Lincoln wondered if all that bravado was just to cover up how she really felt about herself.

Without really thinking, Lincoln leaned forward and latched his mouth around Lynn's right breast. Another moan escaped Lynn's lips as she felt Lincoln suck on her tit, another came when she felt his tongue swirl around her areola and then flick her nipple. His other hand massaged her left breast, sending waves of pleasure crashing through her body.

But that belayed the bigger issue, he liked her body, he liked _her_. Her arms reached up, her left hand resting gently on the middle of his back, while her right hand pressed against the back of his head, pushing him forward as if silently saying, "Keep going".

"Lynn…you're beautiful, I've always thought that…" Lincoln removed his mouth from her right bosom and switched her left, repeating the same actions.

"L-Lincoln…s-shit, don't s-say stuff like that – oh fuck! – you're gonna make me think thoughts I shouldn't right now," said Lynn, her voice shaking.

Lincoln stopped his ministrations and rested his head against her chest, listening to the wild beating of Lynn's heart. "I'm thinking thoughts too…Lynn…"

In a surprising move, Lincoln wrapped his arms around Lynn's body and in one swift motion, threw both himself and Lynn onto the bed, with Lynn's head resting on his pillow. Lynn looked up at him with eyes filled with shock at the forwardness of his actions, and then smiled a little, proud that her little brother was being more aggressive.

"You know we can't…do it…right?" Lynn asked rhetorically.

"I know…but I..."

"I know…me too." Lynn wrapped her legs around Lincoln's waist, confusing him a little at her actions. "Still counts though even through the clothes."

Lincoln understood and started to grind his erection into Lynn's crotch. Two layers of cotton fabric separated their sexes from meeting, and yet allowed both of them to feel the heat and dampness that was growing with each thrust of their hips. The teen and pre-teen began to pant heavily, Lincoln made grunting, animalistic sounds that only further drove Lynn closer to the edge.

The crotches of their shorts and underwear were getting more soaked by the second, making each movement all the more satisfying. Lincoln could feel his orgasm coming, and he so badly wanted to cum, but the sibling competitiveness in him didn't want to finish before his big sister.

"L-Lynn…! A-Are you close?!" Lincoln asked.

"Y-Yes, oh god, yes I am! Blow your load, Linc!" Lynn stated.

Without a second thought, both Lynn and Lincoln came hard. Lincoln's hot seed pooled in his underwear, while Lynn's squirted into her shorts, a damp spot growing with each passing second as the boy and girl felt the warm liquid of each other's excretions soaking into the cotton fabric and then slowly leaking out onto the others undergarments.

Lincoln captured his big sister's lips, kissing her fervently in the heat of their passion. Lynn wrapped her hands around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, grinding more and more against his crotch. Both their tongues fought for supremacy in their mouths before Lynn finally gave in and let Lincoln shove his tongue down her throat.

After a few more seconds, the two siblings parted, with Lincoln rolling onto her left side, panting heavily from just having sex. They briefly glanced down their stomachs and looked down at their underwear, they were both wet and sticky, with a huge wet spot that looked like they had peed on themselves. Lincoln and Lynn chuckled as they let their heads hit the pillow.

"Wow, we made a mess," said Lynn.

"Oh yeah, good thing no one's here right now or we'd have a lot of explaining to do," said Lincoln.

Lynn laid on her side and looked at Lincoln, she snuggled up closer to him and rested her head on his chest. "I don't think seeing will be a problem, they just need to take a whiff of your room and they'll know."

"We probably should change out our underwear before they get back," said Lincoln lazily.

"Let 'em see, I want them to know I hooked up with a great guy."

Lincoln blushed and his heart swelled a little with pride and…love. "Lynn…does this mean we're…?"

Lynn looked up into Lincoln's blue eyes and asked, "It means whatever you want it to mean. If you say we're boyfriend and girlfriend now, I won't say no. To be honest, I don't think I could deny it…I love you, Lincoln Loud."

Lincoln wrapped his left arm around Lynn, holding her tight so as to never let her go. "And, I love you, too."

Lynn settled her head back against his chest, letting the beating Lincoln's heart soothe any worries or doubts she had about uttering those words, of being this way with him. Damn that they were related by blood, damn what their family might think, and damn the world. Lynn never felt so loved, and Lincoln, he was the perfect guy all around. She had been trying to define these feelings for years now, and this time it was given a name and form.

For Lincoln, it was much the same. A growing feeling between him and Lynn, one that seemed to be deeper than just sibling love. Neither one of them knew how to broach it, they could only express it in ways they hoped didn't seem too creepy or wrong. Lincoln didn't say it, but he was probably going to confess it to Lynn sometime later, that he did have thoughts about her at night, about doing exactly what they just did, but…ahem…with nothing really separating their privates from each other.

"I hate to say this, Linc, but this is the most we can do," said Lynn.

"I know…the last thing I want is to get us caught in a compromising situation," said Lincoln.

"Well, when we get older, we can work our way up to the more serious stuff. But, maybe we can work on another way to do it," Lynn suggested.

Lincoln gulped. "W-What other ways?"

Lynn smiled deviously. "Oh, you know, handjobs, blowjobs, cumming on my tits, and…" Lynn leaned up and whispered into his ear, "…anal."

Lincoln's face was so hot it felt like it was going to burn off and reveal his skull. "I think I turned you into a nympho."

"Nah, I just want my daily dose of Lincoln Juice."

"Oh god, I broke you."

"Not yet you haven't," said Lynn with a wink.

Both siblings began to laugh, all the nerves and worries they had forgotten as they laid next to each other.

"But, seriously, we need to change our underwear."

**X***************************************X**

Lincoln and Lancelot were in the backyard, the thirteen-year-old had his fists up, his orange polo having been tossed onto a lawn chair. Lancelot had also forgone his shirt, his well defined muscles on full display. Both the man and boy wore jeans and tennis shoes as they squared off against each other.

Lincoln dashed forward and threw a few punches at Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake blocked each one and threw a few punches back at Lincoln. The white-haired boy jumped back and ducked the first two, but used his right forearm to block the third as he came at Lancelot with a right roundhouse kick.

Lancelot allowed Lincoln to strike him in the side, but then wrapped his left arm around the leg and swiftly grabbed Lincoln's left arm. With a quick motion, he threw Lincoln. The young mage rolled on the grass until he came to a stop, quickly recovering and getting back to his feet.

"Excellent, Lincoln, your recovery is getting better. Remember, just as important as it is to defeat your opponent, getting back up quickly after falling is even more important. Never stay on the ground if you can help it," said Lancelot.

"Got it! Let's go!"

Across the yard, five of the Loud girls were watching Lincoln and Lancelot spar. All of them had a dreamy look on their faces. Lancelot was handsome, his muscles broad and slick with sweat, his chest rising and falling from their sparring session. Ironically enough, they were strangely captivated by their brother as well.

The younger Loud girls had a bit of a crush on their older brother, born of infatuation that only young girls of their age would have. None of them had seemed to have noticed before, but Lincoln wasn't the lanky looking thing he was two years ago. No, now he was sporting lean muscle, and developing six pack abs.

"Dang, I didn't know Lincoln could fight," said Lana.

"He beat up five guys at his school for talking bad about Lynn," said Luan.

Lola, Lana, and Lisa looked at her with shock. They knew that Lincoln was suspended for a week or so, but no one told them why.

Lola looked like she was going to swoon. "Lincy can be a butt sometimes, but a majority of the time, he can be a real knight in shining armor."

Lisa coughed, trying to hide her own growing infatuation. "I-Indeed, our elder brother is quite chivalrous…and becoming quite the specimen at that…"

Lucy let a ghost of a smile grace her lips, she thought much the same way as her younger sisters. Lincoln had showed a devotion to Lynn that, honestly, made her a little jealous. But she understood it, and she loved him for it. In her mind, any boy who sought her out had a lot to measure up to, because she would always measure them against her big brother, and Lucy knew, that none of them would come close to being the kind of boy he was, or the kind of man he would grow up to be.

Luan had to admit, she felt a lot of pride in seeing her little brother working so hard, getting stronger, and no longer stuck in a deep state of depression. She wondered if it was because of Lance? They seemed to share a bond that was like that of a younger and older brother. Luan did feel sorry that Lincoln was the only boy in their family, surrounded twenty-four-seven by ten girls was a little intimidating, she supposed that's why he gravitated towards Lynn, her tomboyish attitude made her like one of the guys.

That being said, she was kind of mad at him for not introducing someone like Lance to them. _He's hot, and if I wasn't with Benny right now, whoa mama, I'd definitely like to get _Lanced_! Geddit?_

Luna came out the backdoor and saw all of her sisters watching Lincoln and Lancelot sparing. Ronnie Anne and Quetz were watching as well, leaning against the house. It kind of made her uneasy, while she knew that they were all working together, Luna couldn't help but be afraid that Ronnie Anne may turn around and attack Lincoln. Part of her even wished that Quetz would take out Lancelot and end their participation in this Grail War.

Then again, another part of her didn't want that to happen. Because there was a chance, a real chance that Lynn could be brought back to life, that the gaping wound that was inflicted onto their family could finally be healed with her return. Of course, that also meant that Lincoln and Lynn would resume their incestuous relationship once again. Did that bother her? A little, but, seeing how hard Lincoln was working to bring back someone he loved so much, one couldn't help but route for him.

_If – __**WHEN **__– they bring her back, I won't stand in their way. After everything they went through, Lincoln deserves to be happy with the person he loves. I'm still his big sister, and I'll support him however I can. On that note…_

Luna eyed her siblings, seeing a tinge of pink marring their faces. She followed their eyes, believing that they were latched onto Lancelot, she couldn't lie, for a spirit, he was handsome. Unfortunately, out of the five, only Luan was staring at Lancelot, the others were focused on Lincoln.

"Dudes, are you seriously checking out our brother?" Luna asked.

All but Lucy and Luan looked abashed.

"I-I wasn't 'checking him out'! It's Lincy after all!" Lola countered.

"I kinda was," Lana confessed.

Lisa adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "I, ahem, may or may not have entertained a fantasy or two a few moments ago."

Luna's face palmed herself. _Dammit Linc, you're seducing your little sisters without even trying! _She turned her attention to Luan. "Please tell me you're not the same way?"

"Oh yeah, totally. In fact, I'm going to go over there, grab Lincoln and make out with him!" Luan declared.

Luna's heart nearly stopped.

"Wait, I thought you were with Benny?" Lola asked.

"Yeah, but you know what, the heck with Benny! Lincoln's going to be my new boyfriend! Hey Linky!" Luan called out.

Lincoln stopped and glanced in their direction.

"I'm going to be your girlfriend now!" Luan announced.

"What?!" Lincoln exclaimed.

Ronnie Anne nearly fell forward. "What?!"

Lancelot paused. "Pardon?"

Quetz snickered at their reactions.

Lola stomped her foot on the porch and glared at Luan. "That's no fair! You have a boyfriend already! If you're going to dump him that easily, then I'm not letting you have Lincoln! Lincy! Forget her, I'm your girlfriend now!"

"WHAT?!" Lincoln exclaimed louder.

Lana gaped at Lola. "Oh, heck no! You're not snatching him up like that! Lincoln, forget princess fussy pants, I'm your gal!"

"W-W-What the hell is going on here?!" Lincoln asked with a twitchy left eye.

"Humph, please, if there's anyone qualified to be our brother's paramour, then it's me!" Lisa objected.

Ronnie Anne looked from the porch and to the shocked Lincoln. "Okay, what in the hell am I missing here?"

Lucy walked down the steps and said, "You didn't know? Lincoln is starting a harem with all of us. Luna's still the outlier, but we're working on that."

"THAT'S BS DUDE!" Luna argued.

"You can join too…" Lucy crossed her arms. "On a trial basis."

Lancelot stood beside his Master and asked, "I'm sorry, Lincoln, but I'm afraid I don't quite understand what's happening. Are you starting a harem with your own kin?"

Lincoln's response was to fall onto his back and stare up at the blue sky.

"Guys, I'm kidding," Luan said finally. "I'm not breaking up with Benny. I still love you little bro!"

Lincoln gave her a thumbs up.

"S-So you were kidding about the harem thing, right?" Ronnie asked.

"Yes, just a bit of sisterly teasing."

"I wasn't kidding! Lincy's mine!" Lola jumped off the porch and ran towards him.

"Not if I get him first!" Lana stated.

"Ha! I shan't be bested by you two," said Lisa as she joined in.

"Uh-oh, Lincoln, I think you should run!" Lucy warned.

Lincoln looked up and immediately began to run, his little sisters chasing him around the yard while they declared they the first one to catch Lincoln got to kiss him.

Luna leaned against the house and sighed heavily. "Jeez, Luan, do _not _joke around about stuff like that!"

"What? I'm just messing around, you don't have to get so worked up about it," said Luan.

Luna opened her mouth to argue that she had the right to get worked up, but stopped. The only ones who knew of Lincoln and Lynn's relationship were her and Lucy, as far she knew, they hadn't told Lancelot, Quetz, or Ronnie Anne. She could understand why they wouldn't tell those two, if Ronnie Anne found out the whole truth about why Lincoln wanted to bring her back, she might turn on them.

"Anyway, my concert's tonight, so I'm heading out to practice," said Luna. She saw that he was pounced on by three of the younger Loud girls, he was on his stomach, his chin resting in his upturned wrist as he waited for the three of them toned their little argument. "Linc, come with me a sec, I need to talk to ya."

_Thank God!_ "Alright guys, I need to go, c'mon," said Lincoln as he managed to get from underneath the dogpile.

He walked over to Luna, who he followed around to the front. "Thanks for the save, Lunes."

"No prob, lil' bro. But, seriously, don't go after 'em," said Luna.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "I'm not, I'm fighting to get Lynn back. Besides, I tried to see I could feel the same with another one of you guys, but didn't work out."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "You tried to think about me and Luan that way?"

Lincoln rubbed his right arm. "After Lynn died…I tried to think of someone I liked and who was close to…the first one I thought of was you, Luna."

Luna's face heated up. "I…I uh…I really don't know what to say, Linc…"

"Don't worry, like I said, I tried. I thought if I could feel the same way for someone else like I did for Lynn, then the pain wouldn't be as bad. But, I was wrong, I don't think I'll feel like that for any one else other than Lynn."

Luna put her guitar down and hugged her little brother tightly. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that pain alone."

"I said it was okay, you guys didn't know and I didn't tell you," said Lincoln.

"I'm still sorry. Lori and Leni aren't here, so it's mine and Luan's jobs to be the big sisters and help you guys out, to be there for you. Especially you, Linc. You're our only brother, and we don't like seeing you in pain." Luna released him and kissed his forehead. "I don't like this whole war thing, but maybe we can just talk soon, I kind of want to hear about you and Lynn, and I'm sure you'd like someone to listen."

Lincoln smiled broadly. "I-I would, like that, I mean."

"'Kay, it's a date. How 'bout after the concert?"

Lincoln nodded.

"See ya later." Luna picked up her guitar, flicked his cowlick, and then walked down the sidewalk.

Luna could've taken Vanzilla, but she knew that her mom and dad would need it to drive them to the venue later. She was going to meet up at Sam's place, and from there, they would head to the theater…and perhaps snog a bit.

As she walked down the street, Luna felt like she was being watched. Since that one time when the Loud kids went heavy on the security, they found that their neighborhood was pretty safe. No sex offenders, cultists, gangbangers, or anything really, it was one of the few rare places that parents felt safe to let their kids ride their bikes everywhere, or walk home to school, to the park, mostly anywhere.

So when Luna got that strange feeling, she was on alert as she didn't get that feeling very often. Plus, with the knowledge that there were at least five different mages who were hell-bent on killing each other, if they found out that she was Lincoln's sister, then they'd no doubt come after him through them.

_C'mon, Lunes, that's just fear talkin'! Lincoln's white hair will throw them off, so they'll probably be looking for people who have white hair too. We both have freckles, but so do half the kids in this town. It'd be a freak accident if they knew, especially since there's ten…nine of us._

Luna sometimes forgot that they weren't ten sisters anymore, there were only nine. Nine and one brother, that was the new ten, it used to be eleven. Luna shook her head, she couldn't mope like that, she knew her brother and sister would make it through this, and at the end, they'd have Lynn back. The rocker took one last glance over her shoulder and was about to step forward, that is until she saw _him_.

A man stood before her, about six-feet tall. He wore a gray, Victorian outfit, complete with a cape, and ruffles around his collar. The right half of the man's face was covered with a white mask, it didn't look normal. The texture looked smooth, but rough, like…it was made of bone. His long black hair concealed most of the mask, but allowed just enough to be seen, such as the sinister smile. The mask's right eye was a hollow pool of darkness, making Luna wonder if this was a trick of the mask itself or if the man had no eye. The man's one eye had a red tint to it, although the man had a gentle smile, his eye conveyed sadness.

Luna froze up, it was kind of hot outside, so wearing an outfit like this man was would make any person sweat, but there wasn't a bead of sweat on his face. She started to wonder if this was one of those Servants, like Lancelot and Quetzalcoatl? If he was, then she was in trouble.

_No, there's no way they could've figured out I was his sister! C-Calm down, Lunes! Lancelot and Quetz can move around on their own, s-so maybe he's doing the same thing? Y-Yeah, like recon or some shit!_

"C-Can I help you, sir?" Luna asked.

"Oh my, you remind me so much of my dear Christine~" the man said.

"Oh…I-I do?" _Why is he singing?_

The man nodded. "You have a lovely voice, I caught you're performance the other day~"

"Oh, y-you liked our practice? Thanks, dude, uh, sir."

The man placed his right hand against his chest and gave a slight bow, "Please call me Erik, and I must say, I think you can be better~"

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "'Better', how?"

Erik reached out with a gloved hand and gently placed his finger tips against her throat. Luna flinched under his touch, but she made no moves to run. Lancelot was fast, if that was anything to gauge a Servant by, then there was no way she was going to be able to outrun Erik. Luna's only chance of surviving this was to play along and live, then she could call Lincoln and Lucy and tell them what this guy looked like and his name. They could then research him later, but right now, she needed to focus on surviving.

"Sing my dear, sing~ Aaaaah~ Haaaaa~ Aaaaah~" Erik directed.

Luna opened her mouth and mimicked the notes. "Aaaah~ Haaaa~ Aaaaah~" Her eyes widened when she heard her own voice resonate with a clarity that she hadn't reached before.

Erik repeated the notes, and Luna did it again. Something felt nice about singing with Erik, the more she practiced with him, the more her fear and worry began to ebb away, like sand on the beach.

"My dear Christine, please come with me~ I promise, I will make you a star~" said Erik.

"But…I-I have a concert tonight," said Luna in a dazed state.

"A concert, in a paltry place, but soon, you will be playing in the grandest of music halls, fit for a diva~!" Erik proclaimed.

_That does sound pretty rad…I guess that would be alright…_

With that, the last thing anyone would've seen was Luna being led away by a strange man, and disappearing.

* * *

Lucy roamed the halls of her house, Ronnie Anne had gone upstairs after her own training session with Quetz, the goddess stayed behind as to wrestle with the youngest tomboy, Lana. She stopped when she saw the ladder to her attic room was down. Lucy climbed up and saw Ronnie Anne messing with her revolver.

The young Latina noticed Lucy and said, "Sorry, I just wanted to work someplace where this thing wouldn't hurt anyone."

"That's fine, I'd prefer it if you did, Lily knows not to come up into the attic without one of us helping her, and she has a habit of grabbing things that don't belong to her. The last thing I want is for her to grab that weapon," said Lucy.

"Don't worry, it has a charm on it so that anyone not magically inclined won't see anything," Ronnie Anne assured.

Lucy walked all the way into her room and sat on her bed. "Maybe, but kids Lily's age are more in tune with the supernatural, so there's a chance she might see it."

"Good point, I'll be careful, promise." Ronnie Anne returned her gaze to her weapon and cleaned it with the tools her Abuela packed for her. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Lucy flinched. "That obvious?"

Ronnie Anne chuckled. "Oh yeah. Since we're alone, let's talk. No Servants, no Lincoln. Just us, girl-to-girl."

Lucy sat at the edge of her bed, kicking her feet back and forth as she contemplated that. "I guess."

"Cool, so, why _exactly _don't you like me? Did I break Linc's heart when me and my family moved? Because he didn't seem as upset about it, at least not that he showed me." Ronnie Anne asked.

Lucy shook her head. "No, he missed you, yes, but not in a romantic way. I think he might've had a small crush on you, but I think that faded over time when you moved."

"Huh…did he ever date anyone? He never told me in his video chats, your sisters didn't tell me either, but…I don't know, I feel like…maybe he did?" Ronnie Anne guessed.

Worry crept into Lucy's chest, she didn't want to say, "_Oh he did, it was Lynn!_", yeah, that wasn't going to go over well. "N-No, not really. How about you? Any boys?"

"Heh, nope, girls however, yeah, one," said Ronnie Anne.

"Oh, I didn't…"

"Neither did I until I met the right girl. I'm bi though, but you really don't have to worry about me hooking up with Lincoln. I love Sid, and I'm going back to her when this is over."

Lucy could see the determination in her chestnut brown eyes, they blazed with conviction, she truly loved this Sid girl, and was ready to fight through hell if it meant getting back to her. It was the same kind of fire she saw in Lincoln.

"I'm just…worried…" Lucy confessed. "I want to win, losing Lynn shattered Lincoln inside, if we lose this chance…I honestly don't know if he could take that."

Ronnie Anne stopped her cleaning and sat next to Lucy.

"I was the one who suggested that we fight in the Grail War, compared to the other mages in this fight, we're fucking novices!"

"Won't lie, I'm right there with you," said Ronnie Anne.

"The only advantage we have is that Lancelot is a strong Saber Servant. Ronnie Anne…I'm scared…" Lucy hugged herself. "I'm scared that I brought Lincoln into a battle that he could lose his life in, I'm scared that I've given him hope only for it to be snuffed out like a candle in the wind…I've seen his despair, his sadness. Knowing that he could bring back Lynn has resurrected the boy I know and love."

Ronnie Anne carefully wrapped her right arm around Lucy's shoulders. "You did what you knew was right. Is this a long shot? Yeah, it is. But it's a long shot worth taking. I wasn't here to see how sad he was, but from what you're saying, it was really bad."

"Worse than you can imagine…"

"Then what you did might've saved his life. If you think he was that bad off, from what you're saying, it sounds like he was already dead inside," said Ronnie Anne.

That wasn't untrue, Lincoln looked like the living dead most days. While it was appealing on a level, Lucy didn't like it when it was her brother looking like that. She was so accustomed to his brightness, to his gentle nature, his optimism, he was the complete opposite to her and she liked that, because, as she has said before, even she needed a break from the darkness, and Lincoln was more often than not, the break from the darkness.

"We'll get Lynn back, your family will be complete again, and the hole in Lincoln's heart will be filled. I promise."

Lucy looked up at Ronnie Anne, her sincere smile was infectious, which caused her to smile as well. "I'm sorry that I was so hostile towards you."

Ronnie Anne waved it off. "No big, I know it's how you guys are with Linc. He's your only brother, and you guys would do anything for him, and sometimes can get a little 'mother hen' when it comes to him."

Meanwhile, Lincoln and Lancelot were back outside. Lana and Quetz were wrestling, and somehow were now in the middle of mud wrestling. Lancelot had gotten invited to a tea party with Lola, using real tea instead of the pretend tea she usually used. Earlier the Knight of the Lake had pulled out Lola's chair and seated her, and then did the honor of serving her the first cup.

"My, Mr. Lance, you're quite the gentleman," said Lola.

"Thank you, Milady. I take, very seriously, the lessons of chivalry. More tea?" Lancelot asked.

Lola giggled. "Yes, please!"

Lancelot carefully took the tea kettle and poured some into Lola's cup, careful as to not spill a drop. Once done, he refilled his own cup, took a bite of one of the pastries and drank some himself.

"So, Lance, do _you _have any siblings?" Lola asked.

"Not particularly, I did have…comrades that I saw as my brothers," said Lancelot.

"Hmm? Comrades? Are you, like, a soldier or something?"

Lancelot rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, in a manner of speaking, a soldier of England."

Lola's dreamy eyed look changed to one of fascination. "Wow, you must've been to a lot of exotic places."

Lancelot chuckled. "Not very many, I used to live in France, but it's been so long that I haven't returned there."

"Awww, France, I'd love to go there one day and see the City of Lights, Paris! Of course, hopefully when I'm a world famous model," said Lola. "But I wouldn't mind going early."

Lincoln chuckled watching Lancelot and Lola, usually he was the one roped into playing tea party with her, and while he didn't mind, it got old fast, such were the duties of a big brother. But he didn't mind that Lancelot was chosen instead. The younger Louds, aside from Lucy, Luan, and Luna, were giving Lancelot that same look they gave his tutor way back when. His only saving grace was that his dad was busy at his restaurant, and Lancelot was sturdy enough to handle the rowdiness of the Loud House.

Just then, Lincoln felt his phone vibrate. He fished it out of his pocket and saw that it was from Sam. All the Loud siblings had Sam's phone number, she and Luna had been dating so long that she was practically another family member, plus, it made it easier in case Sam couldn't reach Luna. Of course, that also had its downsides, like the time when Sam sent a nude selfie to Luna, but accidentally sent it to Lincoln's phone.

"_Oh, Sam texted me?" Lincoln swiped his screen and hit the text, only for his face to turn as red as a fire truck. "HOLY SHIT!" _

_The selfie was of Sam Sharp, the shot was taken in front of a mirror, with her right index finger carefully placed as to block out nipples and just enough to tease a peek at her girlhood. Lincoln knew he shouldn't be staring at this, he knew that Sam must've sent this to him by mistake and that it must've been meant for Luna. _

_Still…he couldn't deny how hot she was…that being said, he and Lynn were boyfriend and girlfriend now, he couldn't – shouldn't be looking at another naked girl, especially his sister's girlfriend. _

_About a minute after that selfie reached him, Lincoln's door burst open. Lincoln yelped and dropped his phone onto his bed, Luna had a face as red as his own, her eyes frantically searching his room until they landed on his phone. She snatched it up quickly and sent the photo to herself, and then deleted the thread and the selfie from Lincoln's phone. _

"_Don't say anything to Mom and Dad…please?" Luna tried to put a serious tone to it, but it came out as more of a plea than anything else. _

"_I-I won't! I promise! I swear I didn't do anything with it!" _

_Luna looked like she wanted to say more, but she was too embarrassed to say anything right now. She put Lincoln's phone back on the bed and left the room. Lincoln sighed heavily, feeling as if he had just dodged a major bullet. Then his phone pinged again, he saw that it was from Sam again. Lincoln hesitated to look at it after what happened, but he dared to. He swiped the screen and brought up the message, thankfully, it wasn't a nude. _

_[I am so sorry Lincoln! __ I didn't mean to send that to you! Please don't be mad at me! I already told Luna not to be hard on you or anything!]_

_Lincoln felt bad for Sam, she was really sorry. [It's alright, honestly, I think she was more embarrassed than mad, really.]_

_[Thanks, Linc. Well…at least you can say you saw a naked girl ]_

_Technically Lincoln had already seen a naked girl, but he wasn't about to say that. _

Afterwards, Luna apologized to Lincoln as well for her storming in like that. He wasn't mad, but Lynn on the other hand found out and smacked his arm hard, gave him a bruise too. _"What the hell, Stinkoln, I'm not hot enough for you?!"_

"No, you were, you _definitely _were." Lincoln swiped his screen and read the message.

_[Hey, Linc, did Luna leave already?]_

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. _[Yeah, about ten minutes ago, she's not at your place yet?]_

_[No, she's not. Maybe she got held up? Ugh, I'm being paranoid, she would never skip on practice.]_

An ice pick of worry stabbed at Lincoln's heart, Luna was never late when it came to Sam, or practice. Lincoln switched to calling Sam, when she picked up he asked, "Did Luna text you or anything?"

_{No, she hasn't yet…Linc, are you alright, you sound worried?}_

Lincoln was worried, worried that one of the four other mages in the town had kidnapped Luna. She knew Carol wouldn't do anything to hurt his family, she wasn't an ally, but also not an enemy. The last thing she would do was hurt Lincoln and his family like that after they lost Lynn. So that only left the Masters of Berserker, Archer, Caster, and Assassin as the culprits.

"No, it's fine, I'm paranoid too, you know…because of Lynn and all…"

_{Sorry, I'm kind of the same too. We're probably worrying for nothing. Later, Linc.}_

"Later."

Lincoln hung up the phone and hurriedly scrambled inside the house, Lancelot saw this and his gaze immediately narrowed, but then softened when he turned back to Lola.

"I'm sorry, Lola, but I believe I need to go," said Lancelot. "Perhaps we may reschedule?"

Lola sighed. "Okay, but only because you are such a delight."

* * *

Lincoln, Lucy, and Lancelot ran down the street that Luna was walking on her way to Sam's. Ronnie Anne had offered to come with them, but Lincoln told her to stay at his house, the last thing he wanted was to leave his sisters unguarded, and having Ronnie Anne and Quetzalcoatl around put his mind at ease.

The Heroic Spirit and two young mages made it about halfway down the road before Lucy stopped. She had long ago made a kind of tracking charm for each of their siblings, the one she was using was a stone that had carved rune into it. The rock would glow the closer that they got to Luna, but they first needed to pick up her magical "scent".

As it so happened, the stone did glow. "She was here," said Lucy.

"Is she alive?" Lincoln asked.

"The stone is warm, so yes she is, if not it would go ice cold."

Lancelot knelt and placed his hand to the ground, using his mana, he tried to get a sense of what had happened. "I sense magic in the air, not of a mage, but of a Servant. Lady Luna must've been kidnapped by one of our foes, as we might've feared."

"There's no way they could've linked us to Luna _that _quickly! We didn't give out or names or anything!" Lincoln stated.

"We cannot underestimate the resources of our enemies, Master. Mages have several methods of tracking down their opponents, not only that, there's also the matter of their wealth. Some mage families don't need to expend magic when they can just throw money around," said Lancelot.

"He's right, they might've used their wealth to do research on us based on our descriptions alone. Royal Woods is big, but not _that _big, it probably wouldn't take them long to track down a boy with white hair," said Lucy.

"Shit," Lincoln cursed, "Okay, which way do we go?"

Lucy was about to answer, until they saw Sam's car pull up, Lucy hurriedly hid the stone behind her back as Sam exited her car.

"I knew it, something's wrong," Sam exclaimed.

Lincoln brought up his hands in a calming gesture. "Sam, it's alright, we got this. Just head back home and–!"

"Bullshit!" Sam interrupted. "Lincoln, don't lie to me! Tell me the truth, something's going on, and whatever it is, Luna's in danger, isn't she?!" Sam knelt before the thirteen-year-old, gripped his shoulders, and looked him in the eyes. "Please?"

Lincoln's heart clinched, he could see the same fear and sadness in Sam's eyes that were once in his. But was it alright to bring Sam into this? Luna was already dragged into their war, unfortunately, their entire family had been thanks to the two of them. Lincoln and Lucy knew this, but they had thought that they could mitigate the attention of the other mages to them alone, how childish of them to think that their mage opponents wouldn't try to do something as underhanded as kidnap someone they loved, torture them, or kill them.

Lincoln balled up his fists and looked Sam in the eyes. "We think Luna was kidnapped, by someone who's trying to kill Lance, Lucy, and me."

Sam released Lincoln's shoulders and stared at him with a dumbfounded look. She knew the middle Loud child had a flare for the dramatic when it came to his plans and that he loved comics, she too was a connoisseur of comics, it was something that she and Lincoln bonded over. But this was too much.

"Linc, c'mon, dude, don't say stuff like that," said Sam.

"I'm not lying. Whoever did this is trying to kill the three of us, and kidnapping Luna was probably their way of trying to draw us out." Lincoln glanced at Lancelot. "Lance, show her."

Lancelot nodded. Sam watched as Lance held out his right hand, the air around it became distorted, and in flash of blue light, and ethereal sword-like weapon appeared in his hands. The appearance of the weapon made Sam fall onto her rear as she stared at the shimmering sword, but a couple of seconds later, the sword disappeared into particles of light.

"Lance isn't a normal human, he fights for me and Lucy, and the person who kidnapped Luna has someone like Lance who fights for them. Someone we care about is already in danger, so trust me when I say, it's better that you go back home for now, we'll rescue Luna," Lincoln assured.

Sam looked from Lincoln, to Lucy, to Lance, back to Lincoln, and then at the ground. After a moment, Sam knitted her brow and stood to her full height. "Do you have a way to find her?"

"Yes, we're tracking her right now with…uh…magic," said Lucy.

Sam took a deep breath and got back into the driver's seat of her car. "Get in! We can cover more ground in my car than you guys can on foot."

"Sam," Lucy began to protest.

"Lady Sam, perhaps–"

"Look, the person I love most in this world is in danger, I'm not going to stand by and wait at home! So either get in, or I'm going to tail you guys! One way or the other!" Sam declared.

Lucy and Lancelot were about to protest, until Lincoln raised his left arm in a stopping gesture. "Alright, let's go together."

"Lincoln!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I couldn't do anything for Lynn, I won't make Sam feel that way," said Lincoln with finality.

Lancelot nodded to his Master, Lucy didn't like it, but she got into the car. Lucy sat up front with the stone in hand, while Lincoln and Lancelot sat in the back. Sam's eyes lingered on the young teen boy through the rearview mirror, but then turned the car around and followed Lucy's directions.

Sam tried to hurry along, but the stone wasn't a GPS that gave directions, it was like playing a game of "hot and cold" and if Lucy needed her to make a turn, she didn't want to go too fast and miss it. At same time, the urgency of their situation urged her to floor it.

"Turn right, here!" Lucy stated.

Sam turned, in the rearview, she spotted Lincoln with a deck of playing cards. He flipped a few in his hands, his eyes closed as he worked, he reminded her of a casino dealer in Las Vegas, but there was something off about those cards for some reason. They followed his movements and didn't slip out of place even once, moving like smooth running water.

"Hang a left!"

Sam turned left, they traveled down the road for a few moments.

"Stop!"

Sam hit the brakes, making everyone release an "OOMPH!" from the sudden jostle. Lucy waved the stone around, when she moved it to her right the stone glowed even brighter than it had before. All four occupants looked out the windows, and Sam cocked in eyebrow.

"The Music Hall? This is where the concert's going to be held, are you guys pulling a prank or something?" Sam asked.

However, that notion died out quickly when Sam saw the deadly serious expressions on Lincoln's and Lancelot's faces, Lucy still had her stoic expression, but over time Sam had learned to read even the slightest of micro expressions on Lucy's face, and she too was as serious as her brother and Lancelot.

"How do you want to do this?" Lincoln asked.

"A Bounded Field would be work to keep everyone away, it won't be a pretty one, but it'll get the job done," said Lucy.

"Do it, Sam, watch Lucy's back while she's setting up. Lancelot and I will head in," said Lincoln as they began to exit the car.

"Whoa, hey, wait!" Sam hurriedly did the same and ran to cut them off. "If Luna's in there then I'm coming with you, Linc!"

Lincoln looked up at Sam and said, "No, you're not. You'll just get in the way."

Sam was about to say something back, but that was before she took a good look at him, and she paused. His eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits, his fists were clenched along with his jaw, he looked like he was about to kill someone. There was anger in his eyes, a fury born of worry and concern for someone he loved, and be damned anyone or anything that stood in his way.

Lancelot strode next to Lincoln and said, "Lady Sam, please step aside. This is a matter not for you at this time."

Sam could see a similar fury coming off of Lancelot, his aura was different from the big brother like feeling he radiated before, he was more like a man about to go to war. Reluctantly, Sam stepped aside and allowed them to go inside.

"Don't worry," said Lucy, "they'll be alright." _I hope…_

* * *

Once inside the building, Lancelot's body glowed bright, replacing his normal clothes with that of his royal knight armor. The claymore sword from the previous night's battle materialized in his right hand, he gave a practice swing before gripping it in both hands. Lincoln quickly took out one of his playing cards, concentrating as he infused it with some magic, ready to cast at a moment's notice.

The first thing that they realized upon entering was that it was empty. There was going to be a concert later, but there was no sign of the building's staff anywhere. Lights were on, but it seemed no one was home. However, they started to hear something, or rather some_one_. Music was playing, no, someone was singing.

Lincoln and Lancelot made their way to the double doors that led into the main staging area. Quietly, they pushed the doors open and Lincoln gasped at what he saw. At the center of the stage was Luna, dressed in a purple gown and singing an admittedly beautiful aria. Her paperclip earrings were gone, replaced with a couple of diamond earrings, a gold pendant hung around her neck, and a violet rose was carefully placed in her hair right above her left ear.

Her eyes were closed, deeply engulfed in the song she was singing, blocking out all other distractions as her song was the only thing that mattered. Lincoln had to admit, Luna was a pretty girl, but then again he thought that of all his sisters, but right now, she looked beautiful. However, his moment of observation was stymied when he looked upon the person close to Luna, circling her like a shark as if apprising her.

There was another person inside, sitting in the chair closest to the stage. Lincoln could only see the back of his head, but was sure that the person sitting there was the Master, and the one on stage was the Servant. Luna finished her aria and then gave a small bow towards the audience. The unknown Master stood and clapped, at the same time, so too did the Servant.

"Bravo, well done!" he said.

"Truly the voice of an angel, my dear Christine~"

Luna giggled a little and said, "Thank you, Erik. Lord Iselam."

"Now, now, please, call me Torek. Or just Tor." Torek rubbed his chiseled chin. "She is quite the specimen, and you did such good work with her in just a short amount of time."

Erik spun in place and bowed to his Master. "You are too kind~ But just wait and see, as my dear Christine, she will be the most pristine diva the world has _ever _seen~!"

"Worry not, Assassin, the world will know of her talent, and I will have this girl's voice, one more part to reach perfection," said Torek.

Lincoln's fist tightened as he said, "Saber, take out Assassin, I'll handle his Master."

"Be careful, Master, it stands to reason he's more experienced in magecraft than you are. I have faith in you, but try and survive at the most," said Lancelot.

Lincoln nodded his understanding. With that, Lancelot went into spirit form. He dashed across the auditorium and closed in on the stage, Assassin sensed him at the last second and jumped back just as Lancelot materialized and brought down his sword. The blade struck the wooden stage, causing the wood to splinter as the shockwave from the blow sent Luna to the floor.

"What the–?!" Torek exclaimed.

"_Fulgur!_" Lincoln pointed his card towards Torek and from it released a stream of lightning right at the man.

The lightning bolt struck him in the back and then exploded, covering Torek in black smoke. On stage, Lancelot put himself between Luna and Assassin, trying to keep her safe. He glanced over his shoulder and checked on Luna, she seemed to be in a daze, her eyes were glazed over as if drugged or hypnotized.

"How dare you…" Assassin shook with rage. "How dare you keep me from my diva, my Christine!"

Assassin's cape began to distort, turning into shadows, at the same time, Assassin pulled off the gloves on his hands and revealed their true state, his hands were bronze colored metal that formed razor sharp claws on each finger. The stage seemed to get distorted, as if the theater was somehow becoming a low grade, pseudo Reality Marble.

Lincoln ran down the aisle towards the stage, but stopped when he saw Torek appear before him. He cursed when he saw that Torek's shirt was burned off, and yet the man didn't seem to have a scratch on him.

"Oh, so it's the little mage and his Saber," Torek taunted. "I wasn't expecting you to find me so soon."

Lincoln summoned another card to his hand and got into an attack stance. "Why did you take her?!"

Torek glanced towards Luna and raised an eyebrow. "And what concern is that of yours?"

_Wait…he doesn't know that Luna's my sister? Shit…think Lincoln!_ "I heard something about a girl getting kidnapped around here, thought it might be connected to a Master and Servant, and it looks like I was right," said Lincoln with a confident smirk.

"Hmm, you know kid, you really shouldn't meddle in the affairs of adults, you're likely to get hurt!"

Torek charged for Lincoln, cocking back his fist and thrusting it forward. Lincoln narrowly missed the blow as it struck against the floor, a small crater formed where his fist landed, making Lincoln's eyes widen with fear as what would've happened had that punch landed. However, Lincoln shoved that to the back of his mind, he had to focus on surviving this fight until Lancelot was done with Assassin.

Lincoln focused his magic and made his playing card glow bright. "_Gladius Fulgur!_" In an instant, the card changed shape, transforming into a sword made of lightning. Lincoln had no idea how he survived that last attack, but at least he could keep him at a distance.

Torek got into a fighting stance and came at Lincoln again, Lincoln swiped with his sword, the air crackling with electricity in the wake of the slash. Torek moved back to avoid the swing and pressed forward again. Lincoln came back down and Torek dodged again, backing up just a little.

Meanwhile, Assassin had taken to hiding in the shadows of the stage, thanks to his Presence Concealment, it was hard for Lancelot to pin down his location, but he knew that Assassin's prize was Luna, and so long as she was at his back, Assassin would have to go through him to get to her.

"You have a strong singing voice, and you taught this young miss to access more of her potential, it makes me wonder how someone so talented could be placed under the class of Assassin. Perhaps there is more to this story than you are showing?" Lancelot asked.

The shadows came alive as Assassin lunged form them, Lancelot brought up his sword and parried his attack, repelling the killer and forcing him back into the shadows, a few seconds passed and Assassin attacked again. Lancelot defended with his sword, bracing himself against his opponent's attack. The man before him, Assassin, had a different visage than he did earlier. Before he saw a kind teacher, but now, he saw a raving mad man, fueled by anger, and a possessiveness that would terrify any mortal man. A twisted face of bloodlust stared back a Lancelot, and the Knight of the Lake glared back at it.

Lancelot pushed back against Assassin, forcing him to retreat into the shadows. While this was going on, Luna shook her head, her mind felt heavy, clouded. She was supposed to be somewhere, with someone, but she couldn't remember who? She looked to her right and watched as a knight and Erik did battle on the stage, something was off about Erik.

Lincoln slashed again and again, but Torek kept dodging, he drew another card and infused magic into it. "_Ligate pedes eius et vincula lucem!_" Lincoln threw the card at Torek and he easily dodged it, letting fly across his right shoulder.

"Your aim needs work," said Torek.

"You think so?"

The card stopped in midair, and immediately, chains made of bright orange light shot towards Torek. The older mage didn't anticipate that move as the chains wrapped around his arms, legs, body, and neck. The orange light-chains reeled back, tightening their grip and holding him in place. Torek struggled against the chains, but it was proving difficult to get free.

Lincoln closed in and pointed his lightning sword right at Torek's throat. "It's over, call off Assassin!"

"Or?"

"Or else!" Lincoln threatened.

Torek raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lincoln, and a cocky smile formed on his lips. "You're not going to kill me."

Lincoln flinched for a brief second, but then gripped the sword harder as he narrowed his gaze. "Yes I am! I _will _kill you if you don't order Assassin to stop! NOW!"

"You've never killed a person before. I mean, I can see it plainly in your eyes. This is the first time you've held a deadly weapon to a person's throat. But something's driving you, something that's making you consider killing me." Torek suggested.

Lincoln gritted his teeth, Torek had figured him out.

Torek nodded. "I see, it must have something to do with that girl, Luna, that's her name isn't it? She's quite the beautiful specimen, tell me, is she your lover? Do you have a crush on her? No shame in liking older women, especially–"

"SHUT UP!" Lincoln warned as he brought the edge of the sword closer. "What were you going to do with her?!"

The sound of ringing metal drew Lincoln's attention away for a second, seeing how Lancelot and Assassin were doing battle. For some reason, Lancelot wasn't fairing as well as Lincoln had hoped. Assassins are generally weak, not many are strong enough to fight Servants with stats like Lancelot or even Quetzalcoatl, but there were some, but those were notoriously hard to summon, or so Lucy told him. Assassins were better suited for that, assassination, killing Masters instead of killing Servants. However, this Assassin was holding his own against Lancelot, a Saber among the higher echelons of his class, so why was it that he was having trouble?

"You having a hard time figuring out who he is?" Lincoln turned his attention back to Torek. "I'll let you know, his known as The Phantom of the Opera."

Lincoln glanced back at the Assassin. Thanks to Lucy, and her love of tragic and dark romances, Lincoln knew the story of The Phantom of the Opera, a man who hid his disfigured face with a mask, and stalked an actress known as Christine, even going so far as to give her tips, essentially tutoring her. After a series of events, it was said that the Phantom died of love, having received love back from Christine and setting her free to be with the one she truly loved.

"So long as he is on the stage, Phantom is at his strongest, you made a mistake fighting us here of all places, kid," said Torek.

"Think so?! You're captured, and I have my sword to your throat!"

"Yeah, the thing about that is…" Suddenly, Torek disappeared, the chains going slack.

Before Lincoln realized it, he received a hard punch to his stomach, sending the thirteen-year-old flying backwards until he landed on the floor of the aisle. His lightning sword vanished, returning to a normal playing card. Lincoln clutched at his stomach as he threw up onto the floor, pain radiating from his abdomen.

"…That was an illusion, I'm quite good at that. Also enhancement magic, which is why my punch hurt so bad," said Torek.

Lincoln wheezed, he tried to get up, but the pain was preventing him from doing so.

"MASTER!" Lancelot shouted.

"SHE'S MINE!" Phantom shouted as he slashed at Lancelot's back. His knife claws dug into the armor, piercing into Lancelot's flesh.

Lancelot whipped back and tried to attack, but was then kicked at the back of his neck and was sent falling forward further onto the stage. The shadows of the stage began to wrap around Lancelot, cutting off his view of both Luna and Lincoln.

Phantom looked down at his diva-to-be and smiled gently. "My dear, sweet Christine~ Please, won't you come with me~?"

Luna looked at the clawed hand extended before her. His voice was alluring, melting away the apprehension and the doubt. She slowly reached out towards him and was about to take his hand…

"LUNA!"

* * *

Lucy had hurriedly set up some rune stones in a circle before her, with some effort she was able to set up the Bounded Field. It was hastily made and any mage worth their salt would easily find it and know that there was something happening. But right now she couldn't concern herself with that, the field needed to be set up to make sure no innocent people interfered with the battle.

Sam watched the ten-year-old as she worked her magic, speaking in a language she didn't understand as the five stones that made up her circle glowed. In a matter of seconds, a dome was formed around the entire theater, and then disappeared as soon as it was finished. "I-I-I don't get it; did it not work?!"

"It worked, it's invisible. No one will come into this place, they'll be subconsciously avoiding this area," Lucy explained.

"So now what?" Sam asked.

"Now, I go in there and help Lincoln. His magic skills are good, he's a fast learner, but I've been practicing magic for longer than he has. Still…our odds are not that great," said Lucy with dread. "The mage inside that place is probably older and far more experienced than me, our best hope is to kill his Servant and have Lancelot kill the Master soon afterwards."

Sam couldn't believe how casually Lucy was speaking about killing someone, she knew the goth was into dark stuff and her poems could be on the depressing, and sometimes morbid side, but to say it so easily…

"Lucy, I don't know what's going on, and I really need a damn good explanation when this is over, but right now, we should focus on saving Luna!"

"Killing the Master and Servant is our best shot at doing that! You stay out here," said Lucy.

"I'm _not _staying out here! I'm going with you!" Sam stated.

"Sigh! Fine, but you stay behind me!"

Both girls ran inside, the sounds of battle were echoing within, with clashing metal and crackling lightning. Lucy and Sam went towards the doors and slowly peeked inside. On stage, Lancelot and Phantom were battling, with Luna behind Lancelot. Lincoln was in the aisle, holding the Master at sword point and bound by chains.

Lucy smiled at what she saw. _Lincoln, I knew you could do it!_

"What the hell is happening right now…?" Sam asked in disbelief.

Just then, they watched as the Master of Assassin disappeared and then reappeared, striking Lincoln in the gut and sending him flying into the air, whereupon he landed hard onto the floor of the aisle. Lucy gasped with fear as she watched her big brother vomit and clutch his stomach.

Sam's eyes widened with fear after seeing Lincoln take such a harsh blow, her attention was then drawn to Lancelot, having been distracted. She then witnessed as some creature gouged at Lancelot's back and threw him further into the stage, separating him from Luna. The man-creature offered its hand to Luna, and Sam watched with horror as Luna reached back. Sam couldn't watch this anymore.

"LUNA!" Sam shouted as loud as she could.

Her voice echoed in the auditorium, catching the attention of all inside. Torek looked up and saw them both, Phantom looked towards the doorway and spotted Sam, at the same time, so did Luna. Her eyes were transfixed on the blonde with the teal highlight. For some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off of her, she knew that girl's name.

"S…S-Sam…?"

Sam walked inside and called back, "Yes! It's me! Sam! Luna, I don't know what they did to you, but remember me! Remember your little brother, Lincoln!"

Lucy face palmed herself, that was not a smart move. Without another second to spare, Lucy took out three rune stones and held them between the fingers of her right hand. Once all three glowed violet, Lucy threw them straight for Torek. The stones whizzed through air, acting like homing missiles as they headed straight for Torek. The older mage didn't fear her attack as he used his magic to enhance his speed, allowing him to back up as the stones chased him.

Lucy took out three more stones and threw them like knives at Torek. Now the mage had six stones chasing after him, making him have to dodge constantly. It looked like a small swarm of fireflies were trying to attack him as each stone lashed out, missed, doubled back, and tried again. Lucy took out another stone, this time coating it stone in yellow light, she placed it between her thumb and index finger, and aimed right at Torek.

With a flick of her thumb, the seventh stone was shot toward Torek. The Iselam heir was growing annoyed and snatched the seventh stone out of the air, enhancing his right hand and increasing its durability. "A nice trick, but it was nothing."

"Don't think just because I'm young, that I don't know what I'm doing, or, what _we're _doing!" Lucy stated.

Torek's eyes widened with realization, something glowed below his feet. He looked down and saw a card resting on the floor between his legs. Torek's eyes shot towards Lincoln, the white haired boy had a cocky smirk. The stone in Torek's hand and the card on the floor began to resonate, all six stones converged, creating a hexagram circle that bound him in place. The stone and card ignited with power as both exploded at the same time, the sound reverberating loudly within the halls of the theater. Torek was thrown from the spot where he was standing and thrown straight into the wall like a ragdoll.

"Fuck…you," Lincoln croaked.

"Lincoln!" Lucy and Sam shouted as they rushed to his side.

Lucy hurriedly slapped her palms together and then placed them over Lincoln's injured area. A green light began to shine from Lucy's hands, making the pain slowly fade away.

"Master!" Phantom cried sorrowfully.

Lancelot took this chance; he coated his sword blade in blue mana and slashed through the shadows. Taking a runner's stance, he dashed towards Phantom, causing the wood beneath his feet to splinter from the sheer force of his take off. Lancelot slashed upwards, cutting the Phantom across his chest and prepared to deliver another blow. Phantom broke away and retreated back to the stage, his chest stinging from the pain of his wound.

Luna finally seemed to snap out of her stupor as she took in her surroundings. "What…W-What the hell…When did I get _here_?!" Luna looked down at herself and blushed at the dress she was wearing. "Where and how did I get this dress?!" Her eyes continued to take in the scene before her, spotting Lancelot, and looking out towards the seats spotting Lucy, Sam, and a downed Lincoln. "LINCOLN!"

Luna angrily tore the skirt of her dress until it rested at the top of her knees. She jumped off the stage and ran toward her girlfriend and siblings, falling to her knees as she looked at her little brother with worry.

"Oh god, Linc, are you okay?!" Luna asked.

"He'll live, thankfully I got to him in time. That guy hit you pretty hard," said Lucy.

Lincoln coughed. "That's the understatement of the year, Luce." He looked up at his big sister and smiled happily. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Luna's eyes became blurry with tears as she sniffled. "Dammit, bro, why do ya gotta act like a damn hero! You tryin' to impress me or something?!"

Lincoln chuckled weakly. "Maybe…did it work?"

"Fuck you, no!" Luna replied as she kept crying.

Sam brought Luna into her arms, rubbing her back soothingly to calm her down.

"Fucking…little…brats!"

The three teens and one ten-year-old froze when they heard Torek's voice. When they looked in his direction, they saw him peeling himself off the wall and land on his feet with a thud. Torek had scratches and bruises from the explosion, and his face was twisted into a grimace of displeasure. "The Iselam family strives for ultimate perfection, to that end, we will do whatever it takes to get us there."

"What are you talkin' about dude?!" Luna demanded.

"I thought your voice would be a perfect addition to our project, I was hoping to take your vocal cords so that we can have that lovely singing voice integrated into our perfect human!" Torek explained.

Luna's right hand flew to her throat, the others just stared at Torek with wide eyes.

"You mean…you've been collecting parts of people, to create a 'perfect human'?!" Lucy asked.

Torek ran his hand through his hair, trying to fix it. "Yes, and it is not easy, finding those with perfect hair, perfect skin, nerves, bones, muscles, eyes, nails, teeth, all of it a painstakingly long process met with trial and error! But with the Grail, we will achieve our goal! We _will _create the perfect humans! An Adam and Eve to do away with the current version of humanity!"

"You're sick!" Sam shouted.

"No, we're artists! And you're standing in the way of that wish! PHANTOM, UNLEASH YOUR NOBLE PHANTASM!" Torek commanded as his right hand glowed bright.

Phantom went lax, the stage seemed to groan as if the structure was straining for some reason. Assassin hugged his body and then looked menacingly, psychotically, at Lancelot and those before him.

"_Sing…Sing, my angel!"_

At that moment, Phantom threw out his arms dramatically. The stage began to rumble, no, the entire theater rumbled. An unnatural light shined behind Phantom, filling the shadows with violet, ethereal luminesce.

From that light, a giant pipe organ began to rise up. It was a grotesque, macabre looking creation, made of skeletons, bones those that the Phantom had slain in his anger and insanity once upon time. That sorrow and anger, that insanity and bloodlust, it was given form in this pipe organ, and bared the name of the one he held dear to his heart.

"_**Christine, Christine!"**_

At that moment, Phantom began to sing. The organ resonated with his voice, and as soon as it did, Sam, Lincoln, Luna, and Lucy were wracked with extreme pain, every nerve ending in their body screamed all at once. Lancelot could feel it, this attack was using magic, it was sending out waves of magic, and the only reason he could tell was due to his own Magic Resistance skill working overtime to keep him from getting damaged by the waves himself.

Torek began walking towards the group of four, slowly, but steadily getting closer. "His Noble Phantasm is a bit annoying when you're in close proximity, he doesn't get damaged, but everyone around him can. Which is why I fortified my body to resist the damage. Ugh! At least to a degree…"

Lincoln gritted his teeth; this man was about to come and kill them while his Servant wracked them with so much pain that they were rendered incapacitated. He looked to his little sister, squirming on the ground with tears in her eyes begging for someone to make it stop, he turned to his big sister Luna, she and Sam were gripping each other's hands, holding onto the person they loved to try and weather the pain together. He wasn't going to let them die here.

_I…will not…let them die…! I will…bring…Lynn back!_ Lincoln's body began to glow with orange magical light, making Torek stop in his tracks. The pain slowly began to lessen as he focused on resisting it. Lincoln looked at Lancelot, and he looked back. "SABER, UNLEASH YOUR NOBLE PHANTASM!"

Lancelot nodded vigorously at Lincoln.

"_Oath to my King!"_

His armor shifted, becoming white and gold, a blue cape unfurled behind him, along with four, long blue tassels. Lancelot dismissed the claymore and summoned forth his phantom sword. The distortion around the sword began to clear up, revealing the true form of Lancelot's glorious holy sword. Blue light began to shine below Lancelot, rippling like the surface of a lake.

"W-What…What is he?!" Torek asked as he watched this unfold.

"He's a noble warrior of a kingdom! A master of the sword and combat! Protector of the innocent, he is a Knight of the Round Table, protector of Camelot!" Lincoln exclaimed.

Lancelot got into a ready stance, the blade of his holy sword shined bright with the same blue light, shining even brighter than the light beneath Lancelot's feet. Phantom saw this and sang louder, and the organ responded by sending out more waves of magical energy. But like a dam, the power that Lancelot was emitting blocked those waves from reaching him.

"_Reaching the very end, beyond the boundaries. King on the other side, look at this light!"_

The energy grew bigger, halting the spread of the waves and ceasing the pain inducing power of Phantom's Noble Phantasm. Lucy, Sam, and Luna panted heavily from the pain their bodies were subjected to, but then looked upon the vermillion aura of Lincoln, and the radiant blue light of Lancelot.

"He is the Knight of the Lake! Sir Lancelot!"

"_**Arondight – Overload!"**_

Lancelot dashed towards Phantom, the rippling light below his feet splashed like water in his wake. With one horizontal slash, Lancelot carved a bright blue gash in the air right across Phantom's chest. That same gash began to shine brighter, and brighter, and brighter, until the light and power within it spilled out and washed over Phantom like a tidal wave. The pipe organ shattered to pieces behind him, and Phantom's mask broke off, revealing the partial disfigurement beneath.

In his final moments, in that brilliant light, he caught a glimpse of his beloved, the only person to have ever shown him any form of love, love that not even his own mother or father ever did in life.

"C…Chris…tine…"

An explosion of power erupted on the stage, shaking the entire building to the point that it surely registered on some seismograph somewhere nearby. The stage and everything behind and in front of it was completely wrecked, charred from the power, or falling apart in the aftermath. Drapes were torn or burnt, scaffolding had fallen and littered the stage, twisted or shattered, and splintered wood was prevalent. All in all, there would be no performances on this stage any time soon.

Torek couldn't believe what he just saw, his Servant, Assassin, Phantom of the Opera, was destroyed. The heir to the Iselam family looked at his right hand, watching as the symbols that marked him as a Master began to fade away until the top of his hand was left bare.

Lincoln collapsed to one knee, his body aching and exhausted from the expenditure of his magic, not to mention the pain that was inflicted on them earlier due to Phantom's Noble Phantasm.

Torek glared at Lincoln with seething rage. "You damn little brat! How dare you get in the way of the Iselam family! I don't care that I lost my Servant! I'll still kill you!"

Lancelot jumped off the stage and landed right between Lincoln and Torek, his holy sword still gleaming with mystical power. Torek wasn't stupid, even he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. With a flourish of his right hand, Torek created five copies of himself that darted straight for Lincoln, Luna, Sam, and Lucy.

Lancelot entered his attack stance and slashed at the first Torek, cleaving him in half and making it disappear. Another one got close to Lincoln, but Lancelot spun around and stabbed it in the back, and it too disappeared. Two more circled and Lancelot glanced to Lincoln, a kind of unspoken strategy flowing between them. Lincoln rushed towards the girls and threw himself on them, forcing them down to the floor. The moment he did that, Lancelot energized his Arondight and slashed a circle in the air.

A small ring of light formed and then exploded outwards in a miniature version of his Noble Phantasm. The wave of energy struck the last three Toreks, and, surprisingly, not one of them was the real one.

Lincoln raised his head and asked, "Lancelot, is he still here?"

"I don't believe so…I think we are safe for the time being," said Lancelot.

Lincoln sighed heavily and relaxed a little.

"Uh…not to say that I'm not happy right now, bruh, but…could ya get off? You're kinda…groping me a little," said Luna.

"Same here…" Sam added.

"And you're lying on top of me," said Lucy.

Lincoln tensed up and took a moment to see what they were talking about. His right hand was resting on Sam's right boob, while his left hand was on Luna's left boob, and Lucy was indeed underneath him. Lincoln's face burned with embarrassment as he quickly stumbled off of the girls and turned his back to them.

"S-S-S-SORRY! I-I swear I didn't mean to do that! I just acted without thinking about that," said Lincoln.

Sam sat up and smiled a little, finding it cute how Lincoln was so contrite over his actions. Luna was a little embarrassed that her little brother got accidental boob off of her, although, after risking his life to save her, she could let it slide. Lucy…Lucy blushed and her heart thumped excitedly in her chest.

"Forget about it, lil' bro." Luna took Lucy by the hand and then brought them and Lincoln into a group hug as she cried. "I'm just happy you're alright…"

Lucy and Lincoln let a few tears come out as they hugged their big sister back. Luna looked to Sam and waved to her to join, she was practically a Loud already, there was no need to keep her out of family group hugs. Sam walked over and hugged Luna, trying to wrap her arms around the younger Louds as well. Lancelot smiled happily as he rested the tip of Arondight against the floor, watching over them.

* * *

Torek managed to make his exit from the theater, panting with barely contained anger and fury that he was not only beaten by a child, but also lost his Servant, and with it, his shot at the Holy Grail.

"Goddamn BRAT! Oh just you wait, I'll find you, those girls, and then I'll–!"

Suddenly, Torek found his body seizing up, finding it hard to move even his neck. Malicious laughter rang out in the alley and it made Torek's heart race with fear. Walking up behind him and into his field of vision, was Rosso, the tanned skinned, redhead smiled smugly at the heir of Iselam.

"Torek Iselam, heir to the Iselam family, you were one of those among others who killed off my family," said Rosso.

"W-Who the hell are you?!" Torek demanded.

Rosso chuckled. "I'm the last of the Eltham family. Rosso Eltham."

Torek's anger evaporated as fear gripped him. He knew that name, he knew why they were killed off. Which now explained why he couldn't move, it was the Etherlite, she had command over his body and there was nothing he could do about it. Just then, a man in clown-like makeup came bouncing into the alley, the laughter that was filling the alleyway, he was the source.

"Meet my sadistic, and deranged Servant, Caster, Mephistopheles. He's very good at inflicting pain, as am I, a little something we have in common." Rosso used the silver threads of her Etherlite to make Torek bow to her so that they were at eye level. "I'm going to enjoy torturing you, and to add insult to injury, since your family's all about perfection, I'll send you back in pieces, all scarred up so that even if they wanted to put you back together, you'll look grotesque."

Mephistopheles chuckled demonically as he clapped his hands together. "What fun we shall half! I'm in possession of the perfect tools to sheer some flesh!" With a flourish of his hand, Caster produced a pair of ornate scissors.

"W-W-WAIT! You don't have to do that! You want to win the-the Holy Grail, right?! I have information you can use to take out Saber's master! I know who you can target! Better yet, why don't we work together to kill him?!" Torek begged.

"That does sound like a good offer…" Rosso's eyes narrowed with cold hatred. "But I hate you and the other mage families much more than I do some no-nothing, novice of a mage."

"Listen he – HUMMMPPH!"

Rosso used her Etherlite to snap his mouth shut, at the same time, Mephistopheles dug his incredibly sharp scissors into the side of his stomach, opening and closing them as he snipped Torek's flesh, making the man scream from behind his shut mouth.

"Let's go, we have a fun time ahead of us."

* * *

Thanks to a "freak gas leak explosion" in the theater, Luna's concert that night was cancelled, at least at that venue. After talking to Sam and Mazzy, the three of them decided to hold an unofficial jam session at the park. The police didn't much mind, seeing as how the theater was totaled.

Sam didn't think having the show go on so soon after what they went through was a good idea, but Luna argued because of what happened they needed to. They needed the music, to lose themselves in it, and just play straight from their hearts tonight.

And play they did, a large group of teens gathered around their impromptu concert. Lucy, Lincoln, and Lancelot were there as well, with Lincoln head banging to Luna's music, Lucy throwing up "the goats", and Lancelot, while not understanding this genre of music, was at least able to appreciate the enthusiasm and spirit Luna was putting into it.

When it was over, Sam made Lucy and Lincoln promise to tell her about what the hell was going on, tomorrow though, as she was beat from everything that had happened.

That night Lincoln lied on his bed, having ditched his shirt, exhausted from the day's events, on top of a small concert, all the adrenaline had finally run out. Ronnie Anne sat up against the wall as she looked up from her cellphone and smiled.

"You look beat, Linc," said Ronnie Anne.

"That doesn't even _begin _to describe it…! I'm sore all over, and I ate like I haven't eaten in days, and now all I want to do is sleep until next week!" Lincoln stated.

"Told you I should've gone with you, with me and Quetz that fight would've ended a lot sooner."

Lincoln was going to argue that point, it was true, had Ronnie Anne and Quetz been there, the fight would've ended quickly and without so much effort. But, he stood by his decision, having Ronnie Anne at his home while they went in search of Luna put his mind at ease.

"Yeah, but I was able to fight better thanks to you. At least I didn't have to worry about everyone here so long as you and Quetz were on guard," said Lincoln.

Ronnie Anne smiled. "No problem, but next time, I'm coming with you. Quetz said she'd take up watch over the house to give Lancelot time to rest."

"Thanks…"

Ronnie Anne glanced forward and said, "You have a visitor."

Lincoln titled his head forward and saw that Luna was there. She was dressed in her normal, baggy, purple shirt with a white skull on it, and most likely only had a pair of matching underwear on.

Ronnie Anne stood up and walked towards the hallway, "I'll go and hang out with Lucy tonight, let you get some good sleep."

When Ronnie Anne left, Luna closed the door and sat on the edge of his bed as she smiled down at him. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied.

Luna looked nervous for some reason, Lincoln propped himself up on his elbows but he collapsed back onto the bed. "Dang it."

"Don't strain yourself dude, you look beat," said Luna.

"Worth it to save you," said Lincoln earnestly. "I'm sorry, I never meant for any of you other than Lucy and myself to get involved with this…"

"Well, it didn't look like he knew about us being related, that creepy guy was more interested in me. You said he was the Phantom of the Opera? Like _the _Phantom?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, he was probably sincere in wanting to make you a better singer, in his story, he did that for Christine. But his Master didn't want that, what he wanted was something sick…" Lincoln's face twisted into a scowl upon remembering what he was going to do Luna.

The rocker ran her right hand through his white hair soothingly, making Lincoln relax. "Don't think about it, I'm safe and sound thanks to you, Lancelot, and Lucy. You're my hero, Linc."

Luna moved up and then laid next to her little brother. Lincoln was feeling a little weird in this situation, something felt…off.

"Luna…what's going on?"

Luna placed her hand on his bare chest. "Linc…I wanna ask you something, something serious and I want you to answer me truthfully."

Lincoln gulped. "O-Okay, what is it?"

Luna bit her lower lip as she tried to muster the courage to speak. "I know you're fighting in this thing to bring Lynn back to life, and I honestly think that that's a noble thing to do."

"I feel a 'but' coming…"

Luna sighed. "It started to come back to me, when I was in that haze, I couldn't focus, but now I can remember everything that happened. How Lancelot fought, and how you fought against that pretty boy. I was so damn scared when he hit you and sent you flying, but couldn't scream or shout or anything. I made me really realize what you're up against and…it scares me, Linc."

"I'm sorry…" Lincoln wrapped his right arm around Luna the best he could. "…but we need to do this."

"What if you don't?" Luna asked.

Lincoln looked at her with confusion. "What?"

Luna turned her head to look up at her little brother, staring deep into his eyes. In a surprising move, Luna rolled on top of him, straddling his hips and propping herself up on the palms of her hands.

"Lincoln…I…I'm willing to be what Lynn was to you…I love you, you're the best little bro I could ask for. I never knew how much pain you were in, and yes, I know you kept it hidden, but that's no excuse."

Lincoln's heart was pounding, he could feel Luna's crotch rubbing against his, and much to his chagrin, a bulge was forming. Luna noticed as her cheeks flushed red.

"B-B-But what about Sam?! She's…and you!"

Luna flinched at the name of her girlfriend. "I…It'll be rough, but…I think this is what's best, Linc." She lowered herself and stroked his white hair again, kissing him on this forehead. "I love you, Lincoln."

She moved closer to plant a kiss on his lips, but Lincoln grabbed her by the shoulders and made her stop. "Luna…please don't do this to yourself."

"L-Linc?"

"I don't want you messing up what you and Sam have, you're in love with her, and she's in love with you! Telling her it's over, just to be with me, so I wouldn't fight anymore, none of us would be happy!" Lincoln stated.

Luna began to weep, she knew he was right, breaking up with Sam would shatter her heart and Sam's, and Lincoln would know that, and even if she tried to form a relationship with him, it would always be soured by that act. But what was she supposed to do? She almost lost her two kid siblings today, and she was helpless to stop it or help.

"I just…I just don't want you guys to die…" Luna spoke through her sobs.

Lincoln opened his arms and Luna fell on top of him, he hugged her close as she wept openly. The arousal he was feeling earlier died immediately, as his brotherly love for his big sister overruled whatever urges were forming at that moment. Luna felt helpless, he understood that, he almost wished she didn't know what was going on so that she wouldn't have to go through this burden.

"Luna, if you want, Lucy can make a potion that can erase your memories of the Grail War, she can probably make one for Sam too. At least that way you–!"

"Fuck that!" Luna held Lincoln tighter. "I don't want to forget! Because if something does happen to you, I don't wanna to hear some bullshit lie about a 'gas leak' or 'freak accident'! I want to know the truth, that way, I'll tell my damn kids and their kids that their uncle Lincoln and aunt Lucy were fucking heroes!"

Lincoln rubbed Luna's back in soothing motions as she made shushing noises. Her hitching sobs and shaking body eventually calmed down as she asked, "Linc…I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Can…Can I stay with you tonight, I promise not to do anything I just…"

Lincoln nodded. "If you want to sleep naked, I won't complain.

Luna smirked and then flicked him in the forehead. "Nice try you lil' perv."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

That night, Lincoln knocked out, but his sleep was sound, because he rested in the arms of his big sister Luna, who held him close to her, as if to act as a shield against all the evils of the world.


End file.
